Stargate: SVU
by Mcfergeson
Summary: Detective Olivia Benson finds herself lost and alone on an alien world when she's abducted by aliens. But hope arrives in the form of Jack O'Neill and the SG1 team. Will they all survive the insidious plot against earth launched by the Goa'uld?
1. Chapter 1

Olivia Benson, and the other L&O: SVU characters are owned by Dick Wolf. Jack O'Neill, and the other Stargate: SG-1 characters are owned by MGM. I'm not making any money off of this story.

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter One**

Olivia Benson awoke to find herself in a nightmare.

The last thing she remembered was being in her apartment. Olivia had just come home from a hard shift at the one six, where she and Elliot had spent the better part of the day interrogating a suspect who they thought looked good for a series of rapes in Central Park. But the bastard wouldn't crack. Captain Cragen had ordered both Olivia and Elliot to go home for the night and get some rest. "We'll start fresh in the morning," he had told them. "Our perp isn't going anywhere."

Elliot drove Olivia to her apartment, where she felt restless and edgy. The Chinese food she'd ordered was left uneaten on the living room table as she paced around the room. The night skies outside her windows were alive with thunder and lightning; it was as if nature matched Olivia's tense mood.

'Relax, Liv,' she thought, as she took a seat on the sofa. After nibbling on a cold egg roll, Olivia gave up on the meal and tried to watch some TV. But there had been something wrong with the reception--it was all distorted and full of static.

'Almost a hundred bucks a month I spend for cable, and this is what I get,' Olivia thought with disgust as she shut the TV off. What made the situation worse was the fact that she still couldn't shake the edgy sensation within her; as if deep down, she knew something bad was about to happen, but she didn't know what.

"Don't be ridiculous," Olivia muttered to herself, "you're home, safe and sound, what could possibly go wro--?"

Olivia's musings had been interrupted by an abrupt flash of lighting, as bright as the sun…which was then followed by a sudden, all-consuming darkness.

That was the last thing Olivia Benson recalled, as she slowly woke up to find herself in a narrow, coffin-like space that was standing vertically upright. Olivia saw that she still wore the jeans and t-shirt she had on in her apartment. Yet she was unarmed; Olivia had taken off her gun and other cop gear the moment she got home.

"What the hell is this?" Olivia said, as she pressed her hands against the sides. They felt very solid. "Some kind of a sick joke?"

There was a sheet of glass in front of her, and Olivia could see some sort of strange hallway outside her constricting prison. Olivia could faintly make out what appeared to be another person--a woman--lying prone in a similar coffin-like space on the opposite wall from her.

"Where the hell am I?" Olivia cried, growing panicked. "If this is a dream, I want to wake up right now!"

She began pounding her fists against the glass in front of her, hoping it would break--yet instead of breaking, the glass remained intact, and Olivia now faced the horrifying realization that her hands now hurt.

And the reason that was so horrifying was because if she felt pain, then that meant that this was no dream.

"SOMEBODY GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Olivia screamed, as she resumed pounding on the glass once more. She stopped when a red light began to flash, and she heard the sound of mechanical gears beginning to move deep within the walls on three sides around her.

The glass partition suddenly slid upwards, and Olivia let out a yelp as the wall behind her shoved her out of her slot in the wall. She landed with a grunt on the floor. As relieved as she was to be finally free of that confined prison, Olivia now faced a new problem: where the hell was she?

She sat up and glanced up and down a vast corridor that was a metallic gold in color. There were intricate designs and patterns on the floors, walls, and ceiling. Oddly, this décor reminded Olivia of a documentary about ancient Egypt she had seen sometime ago. The walls on either side contained hundreds of people within the same glass coffins that Olivia herself had been in.

Olivia got to her feet and went up to one of the glass coffins. There was a blond-haired woman inside, looking as if she were asleep. No matter how hard Olivia tapped on the glass, the woman behind it would not wake up.

'What's going on here?' Olivia frantically wondered. 'What is this place?'

She heard an unearthly roar come from down the corridor, and when Olivia glanced at what caused it, her eyes grew wide with terror.

A muscular man--at least she thought it was a man--came marching down the corridor, clad in the armor of a warrior. His head was that of a serpent, with glowing red eyes that glared at her like twin burning coals from hell. The man, if Olivia could call it that, yelled something at her in a guttural language that she could not comprehend: "Hol! Benna! Ya wan ya duru!"

Yet when the otherworldly man reached for an object on his belt, Olivia understood all too well what he was doing--going for a weapon. And so Olivia Benson, a detective with the elite Special Victim's Unit of the New York Police Department, did the only thing she could do when faced with a life or death situation: she reverted to her police training.

Olivia charged at the serpent-headed man, grabbing his hand before it could reach for the weapon, and then Olivia kicked him as hard as she could right in the crotch.

Olivia wasn't sure if this thing even had a set of family jewels to damage--until her opponent let out a pained groan as he slid to the ground. Olivia reached for the weapon he had been going for, and saw it was an s-shaped object in the form of a serpent.

'It's a gun of some type,' Olivia realized, as she delicately fingered the trigger.

"Kree tal shal mak!" the serpent-headed man yelled, as he rose up and came towards her.

Olivia pointed the odd gun at him and pulled the trigger, hoping for the best. She was stunned to see a bolt of energy shoot out of the gun and engulf the man, causing him to freeze in his tracks momentarily. Then, as the energy dissipated, the man collapsed to the floor. His serpent eyes were no longer glowing, but Olivia didn't want to take any more chances.

So she started running.

As she ran down the lengthy corridor, Olivia was stunned at how many people were behind glass in the walls. Apparently, whatever had happened to her, she wasn't the only one. It looked like a large percentage--if not all--of New Yorkers had been abducted by these…whatever the hell they were. Aliens? Was she a victim of an alien abduction? Olivia shook her head, still unable to accept this crazy situation.

Olivia halted when she almost ran past what looked like some sort of control room. There were a small army of technicians moving to and from various futuristic control panels that all emitted a weird glowing energy. They wore the same type of gold-plated armor that the serpent-headed guy had, yet their heads were bare, and Olivia saw that they looked human. There was a central object in the room that looked like a giant iceberg encased within a protective tank. The iceberg changed colors, reminding Olivia of the mood ring that she used to have when she was a kid.

'Can't exactly ask those guys for help,' Olivia thought, as she continued running down the hall. 'They're probably the ones behind this whole thing. I've got to get out of this place!'

Olivia was so caught up in the absurdity of her circumstances that she never saw the second serpent-headed man until it was too late. He came out from around a corner and stuck something at her feet, which caused Olivia to trip and fall roughly on the floor. The strange gun fell from her hand and slid out of her reach, and as she regained her bearings, Olivia's eyes grew wide with fear when she saw the second serpent-headed man point a large staff-like weapon at her. The pod on the end of the staff split open four ways with an ominous flash, and Olivia cringed in fear at what she figured would be the very last thing she would see in life.

Then the serpent-headed man was flung back against the wall as his chest abruptly exploded. As he fell to the floor, dead, Olivia glanced over and saw a muscular, bald-headed black man dressed in dark green army clothing holding a staff similar to what the serpent-headed man had. He had some kind of strange, gold tattoo on his forehead. Beside him stood a shorter Caucasian man with sandy hair and glasses. He also wore dark green army fatigues and was armed with a small machine gun.

Staring at Olivia, the man with the glasses keyed a radio on his shoulder and said, "We found her, Jack." He came over to Olivia and said, "You're coming with us, ok?"

"Yeah, right," Olivia muttered, as she got to her feet and made a break for it. She got several feet when Olivia was engulfed in a brilliant flash of light. Her entire body grew numb and limp as she slumped down against the wall.

The man with the glasses gave her a sheepish smile as he came up to Olivia. "Sorry about that…but don't worry, you're going to be all right."

"What's going on, Daniel?" a male voice on the radio demanded to know.

"Yeah, uh, we got her, Jack," the man with the glasses replied into this radio. "Um, Teal'c had to shoot her with the zat gun to keep her from running away--but, well…the main thing is we got her now."

'If I wake up, I really hope it's in my bedroom,' Olivia thought, as she helplessly faded away into the darkness.

When Olivia did wake up, she was both grateful and surprised. She was grateful to be alive, and she was surprised to find herself lying on a patch of grassy ground in the deep woods.

She sat up, feeling somewhat woozy, and saw her abductors were huddled together a few feet away from her. The bald black man with the weird golden tattoo on his forehead glanced her way and muttered, "O'Neill, Dr. Jackson, she is awake."

The man with the glasses stood up, along with a third man who was also clad in the same army-type outfit. He had graying hair and looked to be in his forties. A pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. "Hello," he said to Olivia. "My name is Jack--"

"Bye, Jack," Olivia said, as she got to her feet and ran like hell away from them.

"What is she, an Olympic sprinter?!" Jack said from behind her, sounding annoyed. "Sam! Sam, come in! Yeah, she's on the loose again. She's headed your way!"

Olivia ignored the man's ranting and continued running through the dense forest. It appeared as if she had been abducted by some kind of a militia group--maybe for ransom; maybe for revenge--and taken to the deep woods. At first Olivia thought she might have been brought to upstate New York, but she really couldn't be sure where she was. She had to get away from her abductors, first, and then--once she was safe--Olivia could get her bearings and try to get some help.

Strange as it was for her to admit, Olivia was actually relieved to discover that she had been kidnapped by normal people--this meant that the entire bizarre encounter she had with those serpent-headed men was probably just a dream that her mind cooked up while she had been unconscious. Olivia realized that she was still in a great deal of danger--unarmed as she was, and lost in a forest--but at least this situation was real and tangible; it was something that Olivia, a trained police officer with the NYPD, could deal with.

The pathway through the woods that she ran on led to a clearing up ahead. 'Good,' Olivia thought with a smile. 'An open space should help me to get my bearings.'

Yet once she cleared the foliage and emerged on a rocky ledge, Olivia's smile vanished when she came face to face with the sight that greeted her.

At first she thought the three large objects that floated in the clear blue sky above were clouds. But a more critical look revealed that they were three large spheres, each partically shaded, looking for all the world like three moons.

Now science was never Olivia's strong point, and she was the first to admit that, yet she knew well enough that Earth only had one moon. So it took a moment for Olivia's brain to register what her eyes were showing it: three moons, one larger than the other two, all hovering serenely above her head in the clear blue sky. She could even see the craters on the surface of the largest moon.

"Hey," a female voice said softly.

Olivia turned to see a woman standing behind her. She had short blond hair, and wore the same type of dark green army outfit that the men had on. Her blue eyes had a kind, understanding expression within them, as if she empathized with Olivia's plight.

Instantly feeling as if she could trust this woman, Olivia gestured at the trio of moons in the sky and whispered, "Do you see that, too?"

"Yes, I do," the blond woman replied.

"So it's real?"

"Yes, it is, Olivia," the blond woman said with a nod. "Those are real moons up there."

"But earth only has one moon," Olivia said. "So how--"

"You're not on earth, Olivia," the blond woman gently told her. "You're on another planet. Simply put, you've been abducted, taken from earth and brought here."

"You know my name," Olivia said, taking a wary step back from the woman.

The blond woman held out a hand; a simple indication that she wanted Olivia to remain where she was. "That's because I'm the one who woke you up," she said. "From your chamber, remember? My name is Samantha Carter, and I'm with the United States Air Force."

"I've been abducted by the Air Force?" Olivia said, puzzled. Then, after a pause, she muttered, "Wait until Munch hears about this!"

"No, we're not the ones who abducted you," Sam replied, with a slight chuckle. "We're here to help you. I'm with a team of explorers--well, exploring is one part of our main mission. The other part is that we sometimes come to the rescue of people in need, which is what we're trying to do now."

Olivia was startled as the men whom she had run from now all emerged from the foliage in a frenzy. They stopped short when Sam suddenly stepped protectively in front of Olivia and waved them off. "It's all right," she said. "I've got her, sir."

The man who introduced himself as Jack removed his sunglasses. "Is she all right, Carter?"

"She's a little confused," Sam said, "which is more than understandable, given what's happened to her. Olivia, these are the other members of my team. This is Colonel Jack O'Neill, the team leader."

"Hey," O'Neill said, with a slight nod.

"That's Dr. Daniel Jackson," Sam said, continuing the introductions.

"Hi," Daniel said, looking uneasy.

Sam gestured at the tall black man. "And the big guy there is Teal'c."

Teal'c formally bowed his head in greeting, the slight smile he had on his face did wonders to ease Olivia's nerves.

"We're part of what's known as the Stargate program," Sam told Olivia.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Daniel said, "we're telling her everything? I thought we weren't going to do that."

"Well, the situation has obviously changed," O'Neill said, as he strode over to the women. He nodded at Sam and added, "She's awake now. So tell her everything, Carter. She deserves to know. We'll deal with the fallout later."

"That's assuming we're all still alive later to deal with it," Daniel muttered dismally.

"You know, that's what I love about you, Daniel," O'Neill sarcastically said, "you're always so upbeat."

"You said you were with a Stargate program?" Olivia asked Sam. "What, are you guys astronauts?"

"In a sense," Sam said. "But the stargates allow us to travel through space without space ships. They're twin portals, or gates, in-between which a worm hole forms, and when we step into the event horizon of the worm hole, we're transported across many light years in a matter of seconds."

"Hey, Carter, try and keep the techno-babble to a minimum, ok?" O'Neill called.

"I've heard of worm holes," Olivia told him. "I saw this science show once, it was hosted by that scientist, the guy in the wheelchair…."

"Ah, Stephen Hawking!" Sam said with a smile.

"Yeah, him!" Olivia replied with a nod. "He explained it very well. I mean, the whole concept's still a little hard for me to grasp, but I've heard of it before. Plus, I saw this movie with Jodie Foster, who traveled through space the same way."

"Contact," Sam said, naming the film. "That's based on a novel by the late Carl Sagan, the astronomer. You know, Sagan researched wormholes with another scientist, Kip Thorne, who was the one who actually came up with the theory of--"

O'Neill came back over, shaking his head. "I didn't mean for Carter to stop with the techno-babble because of you, Olivia, but for me. I hate that stuff! And once she gets going with it, she never stops!"

Sam abruptly stared up at the sky with a peeved look on her face.

"Besides, there's something I wanted to get straight with you," O'Neill said to Olivia. "Daniel and Teal'c told me that they witnessed you take down a Jaffa warrior all by yourself? Is that true?"

"You mean those snake-headed guys? Yeah, I managed to take one of them out," Olivia confirmed.

O'Neill, Sam, Teal'c and Daniel all shared an impressed look.

"Are you military?" O'Neill asked.

"NYPD," Olivia replied. "I'm a detective with the Special Victim's Unit."

"You're a New Yorker," O'Neill knowingly said. "That poor Jaffa never had a chance."

"What's a Jaffa?" Olivia asked. "Is that an alien?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c abruptly said, as he pointed up at the sky.

When Olivia glanced up where he indicated, she saw a strange looking plane in the sky.

"Glider," O'Neill said with contempt. "They're looking for us. Take cover!"

"C'mon," Sam said, giving Olivia a gentle tug on the arm.

She followed Sama and the others into the bushes, where they huddled down amid the dense foliage. Olivia was rattled at how low the plane flew; it was so close she could even recognize the pilot as being another of those weird snake-headed guys.

'All of this is so crazy,' Olivia thought, putting her head in her hands. 'I feel like Dorothy in a demented version of the Wizard Of Oz.'

"Olivia, you ok?" Sam asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, all this is just a little hard to take," Olivia replied. "One minute, I'm interrogating a rapist at the precinct, the next I'm on an alien planet, being hunted by guys wearing snake helmets. Do you know why they kidnapped me and the others?"

Sam shook her head in the negative. "Not yet. We just arrived here on a routine research mission when we discovered the installation they had you in."

"The SGC still doesn't know how deep in it we are," O'Neill said grimly. "Olivia, do you remember anything about being abducted?"

They listened with rapt attention as Olivia told them about the flashing lights she saw in her apartment just before she blacked out.

"I can't believe the Goa'uld are doing this," Daniel said. "This is a major violation of their agreement with the Asgard."

"When has that ever stopped them from using sneak tactics on us before?" O'Neill said.

"It may not be the Goa'uld as a whole who is responsible for this," Teal'c suggested.

"You're thinking it's a rogue system lord who's behind this?" Sam asked.

Teal'c nodded. "It could well be."

"Yeah, well, whoever the hell's doing this, we've got to get back to SGC and warn them about it," O'Neill said.

Getting back to earth sounded like a great idea to Olivia. "So when are we leaving?" she hopefully asked.

O'Neill let out an exhale of breath. "There's a little problem with that idea, Olivia. Now that the installation's been alerted to our presence, we've been cut off from the stargate."

"It is now surrounded by Jaffa warriors," Teal'c explained to Olivia. "We can not access it."

"So how are we getting back?" Olivia asked, alarmed.

"That's a very good question," O'Neill grimly said. "Anybody's got any ideas?"

"We could check and see if the installation's got a teltac ship," Daniel said.

"The base does have a landing pad, but--" Sam started to say, until she glanced hard at something in the woods to their left. "We've got movement at seven o'clock, sir," Sam whispered, as she quickly readied her machine gun. "Just behind the tree line."

"Here they come!" O'Neill shouted, as a squad of Jaffa warriors emerged, weapons firing, from behind the trees.

"Stay behind me," Teal'c told Olivia, as he charged up his staff weapon.

Olivia felt like a fifth wheel as she stood there, unarmed, in the middle of the firefight that erupted all around her. Still, she felt safe with Teal'c; standing behind him was like standing behind a mountain, and he was an expert shot with that staff weapon. He dropped every Jaffa warrior who popped up at them.

When Olivia saw two more Jaffa warriors emerge from the dense foliage, heading towards them, she was about to call to Teal'c, until she noticed that he was busy fending off an attack in the opposite direction. Olivia saw that Teal'c had what they called a zat gun attached to his belt. She grabbed it and fired on the approaching Jaffa warriors, hitting them both with the energy beam weapon.

Olivia, who was used to shooting a nine millimeter Glock on the Job, felt very strange using this weird ray gun. When she glanced back at Teal'c, she noticed that not only didn't he mind that Olivia used his gun, but that Teal'c even gazed at her with obvious admiration.

Olivia held out the zat for him. "Here you go…"

But Teal'c shook his head and made a gesture for her to keep it. "You are a formidable warrior, Olivia Benson. And as such, you deserve your own weapon."

"Hey, thanks," Olivia said with a smile.

O'Neill made a gesture for all of them to get moving, and they did, marching through the forest single file. Olivia ran with Sam in front of her and with Teal'c bringing up the rear.

"Jack, where are we going?" Daniel asked in a hushed tone.

"Back to the base," O'Neill replied in a whisper.

"Out of the frying pan…." Daniel muttered.

When they emerged from a clearing, O'Neill made another gesture for them all to crouch low to the ground. Olivia heard an ominous rumbling noise off in the distance. They all crept up to the edge of a ridge, where they saw the source of the rumbling. Just when Olivia thought she couldn't be any further stunned than she was already by the sights she had seen today, she found herself shocked once more by this new terrifying marvel before her.

A giant pyramid-shaped vessel lowered itself onto a landing platform several miles away from them. Yet the ship was so huge, so vast, that it was easy to make out the Egyptian-like hieroglyphs on its sides.

"This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it?" O'Neill said curtly.

Olivia was not only stunned, she was overwhelmed at the awesome might and power behind the people who had the ability to construct a behemoth like that.

'How the hell will the five of us be able to deal with that thing?' she bleakly wondered. 'How will I ever get back home now?'

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

_I'd like to thank **Kyla, AproposOfNothing, Barbarossa Rotbart, SVU Chicky, Mia 66, and Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl** for their wonderful support. I originally wasn't sure this one was going to work, but after a friend had read it for me and liked it--and now after reading all of your encouraging reviews--I've taken the plunge into writing this sucker to the end. _

_Sam Carter has been a favorite character of mine longer for ten years now, and it's a lot of fun to team her up with my other great muse, Olivia Benson. _

**Stargate SVU**

**Chapter Two**

Olivia sat gazing at the massive pyramid ship with a mixture of despair and terror. Whatever prior hope she'd had of getting back home to earth had been crushed when this monstrosity landed. Olivia was still amazed at the size of the thing; it was so tall, there were even clouds forming around the top of the pyramid.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said, abruptly gesturing with his staff weapon at something behind them.

When she glanced at the ridge directly above her, Olivia saw a youth peering back at them. It appeared to be a girl, dressed in primitive animal skins, with long black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. She held a knife in one hand, as if ready to attack.

"Don't shoot, it's just a kid," Olivia urgently said, getting to her feet.

"Uh, yeah, we can see that," O'Neill replied, annoyed. He holstered his weapon. "We've done this sort of thing before, you know."

Olivia carefully approached the young woman--who didn't look any older than thirteen, yet she had a battle-hardened appearance to her that was scary. This was a girl who grew up in a war zone. Apparently, all battlefields--even ones in the far depths of outer space--had the same soul-crushing effect on children.

"Easy," Olivia told the girl, as she held her hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Are you from the ship of dragons?" the girl angrily asked, still ready to pounce with her knife.

"The ship of dragons?" Olivia repeated, puzzled.

"Obviously, she means the Goa'uld mothership," Daniel said to Olivia, gesturing at the pyramid ship behind them. "You know, that big thing that just landed back there? We've had some dealings with ships like that before…unfortunately. Not fun, let me tell you." He glanced at the girl and said, "No, we're not from the ship of dragons."

The girl stabbed her knife in the direction of Olivia and said, "I will speak only to her!"

Daniel held up his hands. "Pardon me!" He glanced at Olivia and added, "All yours…."

"Where are you from?" the girl asked Olivia.

"New York City," she replied.

The girl frowned at her. "Is New York City a place where dragons dwell?"

'Yeah, some people would call it that,' Olivia thought. But she figured it would be best to leave that little bon mot unspoken. "No, there are no dragons in New York City."

"Luanda!" a man's voice called out from the forest.

Both Olivia and the Stargate team instinctively raised their weapons once the man came into view. Like the girl, the man also wore animal skins, but instead of a knife, he had a bow and arrow aimed at them. "What are you doing with my daughter?" he demanded.

"Nothing," O'Neill calmly replied. "We're just talking, that's all. We mean you no harm."

"The ship of dragons has returned, father!" Luanda said triumphantly. "I'm ready to go and avenge mother!"

"I already forbade you to do anything of the kind," her father said sternly. "Now, get away from those strangers. Come to me."

"They are not from the ship of dragons," Luanda told him. "They come from a far away land called New York City."

"Come to me, child, now!" the man said.

"Luanda, listen to your father," Olivia said. "Do what he says, now."

"But the ship of dragons took my mother away from me!" Luanda cried. "Now that it has returned, I must take my revenge and destroy them!"

"Your heart is brave, and your courage is that of a warrior," Teal'c told her. "But you would not succeed. Those who reside on the ship of dragons would most assuredly take you prisoner, if not kill you outright."

Luanda's father lowered the bow and arrow. "Listen to the stranger, daughter--if you would not heed the words from me, your own father."

The girl lowered her knife and began to cry in frustration. "If I could not have my mother back, then all I wanted was the ship of dragons to be destroyed--and now I am denied even that!"

Olivia felt for Luanda. It was not hard to feel sympathy for a girl whose biggest problem in her young life should have been what was she going to wear at the mall, instead of swearing vengeance on the people who took her mother.

Luanda's father came towards his daughter and embraced her tightly. He glared at Teal'c. "You say you're not from the ship of dragons, and yet you bear the mark of a Jaffa scum!"

"He's on our side," O'Neill said curtly. "If you trust us, you can trust Teal'c as well."

"Who says we trust _you_?" another voice called out from the forest.

Before Olivia realized it, several dozen men, all clad in animal skins, emerged from their hiding places from behind trees, from foxholes beneath the grassy soil, and from under the foliage. All of them were armed with either a bow and arrow, or a spear, and they each had the hard look to them of seasoned warriors. Although these warriors' weapons were primitive compared to what Olivia and the Stargate team carried, they were still completely outnumbered. Olivia exchanged an anxious glance with Sam.

"Ok, now _that's_ impressive," O'Neill admitted, staring at the warriors all around them.

"I trust them, father," Luanda said.

"We should leave that for the elders to decide. But I see your point, daughter. They are not like the others from the ship of dragons," he told her gently. He glanced up at the Stargate team and added, "I am Sartor, of the Kelori tribe. You've already met my daughter, Luanda."

After O'Neill made the introductions, Sartor asked, "What are you doing in these parts?"

"Trying to get home," Daniel answered. He gestured at the Stargate in the valley below. "We've come through the Chaapa'ai. But the Jaffa now guard it in force, and we can't get back to where we belong."

Sartor stared at Daniel as if he had grown a new head. "I do not know what you mean. Perhaps it would be best if you'd come with us and let your case be heard by our Elders. They are extremely wise, and may be able to help you."

"Very well," O'Neill said. "But, if you don't mind, we're keeping our weapons."

Sartor thought about that for a moment before he said, "You are not our prisoners, but guests. Should the elders decide that you can not be trusted, then you shall simply be banished from our tribe. You will be asked to leave, nothing more. Now, _we_ should all leave--lest our presence this close to the dragon lord's lair attracts the attention of the she-wolf herself, damn her abominable soul!"

Olivia and the others began a long trek through the woods, following a dirt trail that ran under the canopy of leaves above them. Olivia had the zat gun closed up and tucked into her back pocket. O'Neill and Daniel walked in front of her, while Teal'c took up the rear. Sam strode by Olivia's side. Their tribal escorts surrounded them in a tight circle.

'Well, at least it's a nice day for a walk,' Olivia thought, admiring the warm temperature and sunlight--although, every so often, the sight of the trio of moons through the leaves continued to unnerve her. Their constant presence reminded Olivia that she was not on earth.

Olivia noted somebody was walking close to her right, and saw it was Luanda. The young woman had sheathed her knife, as well as her anger, and now strode alongside Olivia while staring at the ground before her in deep contemplation. Olivia wished she could say something to comfort the kid, but found herself at a loss for words. Luanda had seen so much hardship in her life; to simply assure her that everything would be all right seemed downright superficial.

"Sorry."

Olivia glanced at Sam, who had said that. "What for?"

"For all this," Sam replied, looking glum. "For the way things turned out. It's not much of a rescue, I guess, huh?"

"You have nothing to apologize for," Olivia told her. "Because none of this is your fault. And, for what it's worth, Sam, I'm really glad you guys found me." She glanced back at Teal'c and added, "Believe me, I'm very happy to be with you, all of you."

"Thanks," Sam said, her face brightening with a smile. "It's good to have you with us, too."

Teal'c also gave Olivia a smile as he bowed his head. "Your presence is most appreciated, Olivia Benson."

Daniel glanced back at Olivia and said, "And I'm also glad you're with us, too, Olivia."

"Thanks, Daniel," Olivia said.

"If this keeps up," O'Neill muttered to Daniel, "we're all gonna be singing kumbaya. You realize that, don't you?"

Olivia gestured at O'Neill and asked, "Is he always this grumpy?"

"No," Daniel cheerfully replied. "Usually, he's even worse than this!"

"Oh, c'mon, Daniel," Sam said, smiling. "He's not _that_ bad."

"Thanks, Carter," O'Neill called back. "Nice to have somebody on my side for once."

"I'm always on your side, sir," Sam eagerly told him.

"Oh, you suck-up!" Daniel jokingly said to her.

Olivia laughed along with the Stargate team at the exchange--yet something occurred to her. 'She likes him,' Olivia thought, noticing the look that Sam gave O'Neill just now. 'She really likes him…a lot! I wonder if Colonel O'Grumpy knows it?'

Soon, they arrived at a cave, which wound up being the entrance to a sprawling, underground network of caverns, the home base for the race of humans who lived here. Olivia was stunned to see a mini-civilization had sprouted up, with as many of the amenities of a home as they could squeeze in. Where there were no shafts of light from holes in the ceiling, torches provided the illumination. Children ceased playing, while their parents stopped doing whatever chores they had been immersed in, just so they could all stare, amazed, at Olivia and the Stargate team.

Olivia noted that there were smaller caves notched out of the walls, which served as private living quarters. But there was something off about the caves. They looked too square, as if they were all neatly sliced out of the rock. She was about to mention it to Sam--until Olivia saw that she noticed it too.

"Sir, this doesn't look like a natural cavern," Sam told O'Neill, sotto voce.

"Looks like the remnants of a basement," Daniel commented, "or some other type of man-made, underground dwelling."

Olivia pointed at a massive beam that appeared to be rusted out. "That looks like a pipe--or at least what was once a pipe of some kind."

"Indeed," Teal'c muttered in agreement. "Yet it has not been in use for quite some time."

"You could say that for this entire installation," O'Neill said, "whatever it once was. Notice the camp fires? The torches? It looks like the Kelori are simply squatters here. They found this place as was and moved in."

"We may be looking at a previously advanced civilization that's fallen back to a Bronze Age level of technology," Daniel said, excited.

"Probably thanks to the Goa'uld," O'Neill said bitterly.

Sartor led them to a vast underground fountain. The water poured out from a hole high up in the concrete wall. The massive pond into which it flowed served as a communal pool where people collected water. Sartor pointed at several smaller caves--which Olivia now knew were rooms--along the side of the pool. "You can rest there, while I go inform the council of your arrival. I'll have food sent for you in the meantime."

"Thank you," O'Neill said. "Say, Sartor, pretty impressive digs you have here. Did your people build this place?"

Sartor smiled. "Oh, you honor us! No, no, this haven was a gift to us from the gods. Our ancestors settled here many moons ago, because it offers us sanctuary from the abominable she-wolf and her hoards of hunters."

Daniel held up a hand. "Uh, when you say 'she-wolf', may I ask to whom are you referring to?"

"Neith," Sartor whispered in a disgusted tone. "You should consider yourselves lucky to have never heard of that vile creature! And now, if you'll excuse me, I shall return momentarily. Come, Luanda."

Luanda looked as if she wanted to remain with Olivia and Sam, yet she reluctantly did as her father asked and left with him.

Daniel's eyes were wide with shock behind his glasses. "Oh boy…."

"I really don't like that look," O'Neill said with a resigned air. "Ok, Daniel. So who the hell's Neith, and how bad is she?"

"Well, if she's anything like the legends, she's real bad," Daniel said. "Neith, also known as Net, or Nit, was one of the earliest goddesses to have been worshipped in ancient Egypt, as far back as the First Dynasty. In short, she was known as the goddess of the hunt, and warfare."

Teal'c nodded. "She is also known to my people. Yet only in legends. It is said that Neith once ruled the heavens as the Goddess Of All. She was finally cast out of the heavens by none other than Ra himself, after an epic battle."

"Now there's a ringing endorsement," O'Neill muttered.

"Well, her symbol was two crossed arrows over a shield," Daniel said. "I mean, when it came to hunting and warfare, Neith was pretty hardcore, Jack."

"Those legends you speak of may very well be based on fact, Teal'c," Sam spoke up. "Ra may have actually vanquished the real Neith in a power play for control of the galaxy many years ago."

"And with Ra now gone," O'Neill somberly added, "Neith, the Warrior Princess, is back and ready to rumble. Wonderful…."

Olivia stood listening to all of this knowing she should be as alarmed as the Stargate team were, yet it all seemed so abstract. It was hard enough for her to just accept the whole concept of space travel, and being on an alien world, but now ancient Egyptian history had just been thrown into the equation for Olivia to try and swallow. It was too much for her to take all at once.

Sam must have seen Olivia's expression, because she said, "Oh, sorry, Olivia! All of this must be very confusing for you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's putting it mildly," Olivia said with a slight laugh.

"Ok. Long story short," Daniel said, as he came over to Olivia and Sam. "The Goa'uld were once on earth, and were worshipped by ancient humans as gods. Which is why the Goa'uld mothership looks so much like the pyramids that the ancient Egyptians built."

Olivia's eyes grew wide when the realization struck her. "You're saying that's where the Egyptians got the pyramid design from, the Goa'uld!"

Daniel nodded. "Exactly. And not just the Egyptians, but all of ancient earth mythology has been influenced by the Goa'uld occupation, which was once led by our old friend Ra."

"Until Ra was overthrown on earth, many thousands of years ago," Sam interjected. "After he fled, the victors buried the stargate. But this is also why there are so many humans scattered throughout the galaxy, Olivia. Ra and the other Goa'uld took humans from earth for use as hosts, as well as for slaves."

Olivia glanced at the Kelori all around them. "So these people are actually humans, all originally from earth."

"You got it," Daniel said. "They--"

The brief history lesson was interrupted when Teal'c leaned in and whispered, "Sartor has returned."

"That was quick," O'Neill commented. He turned to face Sartor and asked, "So what's the word? When will we meet with your council?"

"You won't," Sartor replied, looking shaken. "You have been granted a private audience with our chief councilmember, the great Revlon himself!"

Olivia broke into a broad grin at the mention of the council elder's name. "Revlon?" she whispered to Sam. "What, is he the head make up guy here?"

Sam burst into giggles at that. When O'Neill gave her a quizzical look, Sam slapped her hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter--which only made her and Olivia laugh even harder.

"I don't understand, this is a high honor, especially for a group of strangers like yourselves," Sartor said, looking confused. "I hope you realize how rarely the great Revlon meets with people in private."

Both Olivia and Sam, abruptly having been humbled, quickly stopped their laughing.

"My apologies," Sam said sheepishly.

"Yeah, me too!" Olivia added. "Sorry, sorry…."

"We do indeed realize what a great honor this is," O'Neill quickly said. "Thank you very much, Sartor. Do you know when the meeting will take place?"

"At dusk," Sartor replied. "Until then, food has been brought into your quarters. We hope you enjoy it."

"I'm sure we will," O'Neill told him. "Thank you again, Sartor."

Once Sartor left them, O'Neill spun around and faced Olivia and Sam. "What the hell was so funny, ladies?"

"Uh, well, Jack," Daniel muttered. "I mean, think about it: the guy's name _is_ Revlon. You know, like the cosmetics company?"

"Yeah, right," O'Neill said, breaking into a slight smile. "That _is_ funny! But remember, we're diplomats, as well as explorers. So when we meet the guy, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to be laughing at him, right?"

"Yes, sir," Sam replied, her face completely deadpan. "Of course."

"Yes, you're right," Olivia said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean anything by that."

"That's ok," O'Neill said. "No harm done. Look, we've got some time before the meeting, so why don't we partake in some R&R in the meanwhile?"

They retired to one of the rooms that had been set out for them. It was just a bare, empty space with several bowls of food and water set on the stone floor. Olivia wished she did eat the Chinese food in her apartment after getting a look at the sludge in the bowls. Fortunately, Sam gave Olivia an MRE--a Meal Ready to Eat--package from her backpack. Olivia was surprised to see that the meal was even heated, once she pulled the bag open. It was even halfway decent; yet Olivia wasn't sure if that was because she was so ravenous.

Sam, Daniel, Jack and Teal'c continued to fill Olivia in on the overall situation. She was further fascinated--and a little grossed out--to learn that the Goa'uld were actually parasitic creatures who resided within humans, taking them over like some sort of demonic possession. Olivia was creeped out to learn that Teal'c had one in his stomach. She also learned that the zat gun that Teal'c had given her only knocked out its target with one shot. It took two shots to kill them.

After the meal, Jack, Teal'c and Daniel decided to stretch their legs, leaving Olivia alone with Sam. The more she got to know Samantha Carter, who held the rank of a Major in the United States Air Force, the more Olivia liked her. She was a resourceful, intelligent woman who lacked any of the ego that one might expect from someone who was so extraordinarily gifted. There was an inherit shyness in Sam that she found charming. And Olivia's initial feeling was right, Sam _was_ sweet on O'Neill. During a lull in their conversation, as they sat side by side, Olivia noticed Sam's longing look at O'Neill, who stood chatting with Daniel and Teal'c just outside the doorway of the room.

"You like him, don't you?" Olivia asked. "I mean O'Neill."

Sam nodded. "Of course. Other than my superior officer, he's also a good friend."

"No, I mean, you really like him," Olivia whispered. "I see it in the way you look at him sometimes…like just now. Have you two ever gotten together?"

When Sam hesitated with her answer, staring uneasily at the floor, Olivia abruptly regretted ever having said a word. "Hey, Sam, I'm sorry--I'm just babbling here; don't mind me."

"No, it's all right," Sam replied, as a slight smile crept across her face. "You know, the guys are great; they've always treated me with nothing but the greatest of respect. But it's hard being the only female in a team sometimes. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to just talk like this with another woman!" She shook her head slightly. "Am I making any sense at all?"

"Oh God, yes," Olivia said, laughing. "There are a couple other female detectives in my squad, but they're few and far in-between. I'm still the only woman in my team as well. So I know exactly where you're coming from. It's like hanging out with a bunch of rambunctious boys all the time. Depending on their mood, Elliot, Munch and Fin treat me either like I'm their frigging den mother, or their little sister!"

Sam burst into laughter at that as she nodded her head. "Yes, yes! Oh my God, you so hit the nail right on the head!"

O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c at stared in puzzlement at the laughing women.

"You're not talking about us, are you?" O'Neill called.

"No sir--uh, well, actually, yeah, we are!" Sam replied with a broad grin. This only produced further rancorous laughter from both her and Olivia.

Daniel was grinning; Teal'c was smiling--yet O'Neill looked miffed. "Nice, real nice," he said. He glanced at Teal'c. "You believe this? They're having a pajama party in there!"

Teal'c merely shrugged his massive shoulders in an extremely casual manner--as if to say that, in the grand scheme of things, this was no big deal.

The men went back to their conversation as Olivia and Sam's laughter finally died down.

"It's that obvious?" Sam abruptly asked.

"What do you mean?"

Sam looked as if she were about to blush. "You know, when I…look at him. Am I that obvious about it?"

Olivia nodded, smiling. "Oh yeah, sweetie."

"Ooooh God…." Sam moaned, as she propped her knees up to her chest and buried her head in her hands. "I didn't think I was so brazen. I feel so stupid! Still, he doesn't seem to have noticed so far. Maybe it's for the best, it wouldn't have worked out, anyway."

"How do you know that?" Olivia asked.

"The Air Force frowns upon officers having romantic encounters."

"So does the NYPD," Olivia said. "But that hasn't stopped me."

"You've slept with another cop?"

Olivia nodded. "His name was Brian Cassidy, a fellow member of the SVU. Biggest mistake of my life!"

"Well, there, see!" Sam said. "You've just admitted that it's a bad idea to fall in love on the job."

"With Brian, it was," Olivia said, growing solemn. "I never really loved him, anyway. We were both drunk; it was just a one night fling. But I fell in love with my partner, Elliot. I'm still in love with him."

"Did you and Elliot ever get together?"

"No," Olivia said with regret. "And now it's too late. He's back with his wife again, and…I would never disrupt his home life. But I did the same thing you're doing, Sam. I told myself that it was just as well, that it wouldn't have worked out, anyway. And like you, I even used the NYPD rule against romances between officers as an excuse not to pursue Elliot when he was available. And I think I may have lost the one true love of my life."

Olivia leaned over until she was face to face with Sam. "So don't make the same mistake I did, hon. To hell with the Air Force rules--if you want to be with Jack, just be with him."

Sam grew thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe, when we get back to the SGC, I'll take Jack up on his standing offer to go up to his cabin with him."

Olivia stared at Sam in shock. "He's asked you up to his cabin?"

"Yes."

"Just you, by yourself?"

"Yeah, he's asked me several times, now," Sam replied, looking puzzled. "But I've never took him up on it, because I was always too..." She abruptly stopped when a realization occurred to her. "Oh my God, Olivia, you don't think that he--"

Olivia nodded at her. "Maybe he _has_ noticed the way you've looked at him after all, and inviting you to his cabin is his response."

"Oh wow," Sam muttered, looking stunned. "I never thought that he even considered--"

She was cut off when the entire underground complex rumbled just then, as an ear-shattering blast echoed off the vast walls.

O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c ran into the room and grabbed their gear. "Saddle up, kids," O'Neill called. "And lock and load, while you're at it!"

"What just happened, sir?" Sam replied, now all business, as she grabbed her equipment and gun.

"There was an explosion at the mouth of the cave," Teal'c reported.

"Looks like the Goa'uld may have found this secret hiding place," Daniel said. "I hope we weren't the ones who inadvertently led them to it!"

"I just hope the mouth of the cave isn't the only way out of here," O'Neill retorted. "Or else, we're thoroughly f--"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted. He stood outside the room, gesturing at something. "They're coming!"

When Olivia ran out and got a look at what he pointed at, a chill ran up her spine.

Several hundred Jaffa warriors slowly came swarming into the mouth of the cave in a solid line. The glowing red eyes of their serpent heads were a frightening sight to behold in the gloom of the caves. Dozens of panicked people came running past Olivia and the Stargate team.

"They're not shooting at anything!" Daniel said, as he stared, puzzled, at the advancing Jaffa.

"They don't need to," O'Neill grimly replied. "We're all bottled up in here!"

"Colonel!" Sam called, gesturing at the running cave dwellers. "The Kelori are all running to somewhere, maybe there's a back door to this place?"

"Or they're just running into a dead end like a panicked herd," Daniel said.

"Shall we make our stand here?" Teal'c asked O'Neill.

"No, there's too many of them, and we're too exposed out here," O'Neill replied. "C'mon, let's follow the crowd, and hope they know of another way out!"

Olivia paused when she saw a familiar face in the panicked mob. "Luanda!"

The girl smiled as she ran toward Olivia. "Behold, Olivia of New York City," she said, triumphantly holding up her knife, "the time for my revenge is nigh!"

Olivia grabbed Luanda just as she tried to run towards the advancing Jaffa. She quickly disarmed the girl of her knife and said, "Forget this insanity! You're coming with us, now!"

"No!" Luanda cried. "You go with the others out the back way, while I attack--"

"You're coming with us, damn it!" Olivia insisted. She got into a wrestling match as the girl tried to squirm her way out of Olivia's grasp.

Teal'c came over, and with one sweeping motion, grabbed Luanda and effortlessly tossed her over his shoulder. He held the staff weapon at the ready with his other arm. O'Neill, Sam and Daniel also came back and held up their guns at the oncoming Jaffa in a gesture of providing cover.

Yet the line of Jaffa merely continued marching calmly towards them. None of the warriors even made a motion at opening fire.

"They're well within weapons range!" Sam said, looking shocked. "Why won't they shoot?!"

"Let's not wait around to find out," O'Neill said. "LET'S GO, NOW!"

As they ran further down the cavern with the other fleeing people, Olivia shouted, "Luanda said there was a back way out down this direction!"

"Not unless the Jaffa have that exit blocked, too," Sam fretted.

"One problem at a time, Carter, ok?" O'Neill said. "Let's just get there, first, and then we'll see what we'll have to deal with!"

Olivia was relieved when they finally reached the "back way" as Luanda referred to it. It was an opening that led directly into the deep woods. O'Neill gestured for them to halt right at the edge of the cave as he quickly scanned the area.

Olivia watched as several dozen frightened people ran screaming into the woods ahead of them. Night had fallen, and the three moons now hung like baleful lanterns low on the horizon.

"There does not appear to be any Jaffa presence here," Teal'c said. Luanda, who was still helplessly slung over Teal'c's shoulder, was doing her level best to wiggle out of his grasp--yet Teal'c held her firmly in place.

"You're right," O'Neill agreed. "All right, let's get under cover of the trees. Move!"

They ran through the forest, and kept running until it felt like Olivia's legs were going to fall off. Finally, O'Neill gestured for them to stop. He pointed to a ledge on the side of a hill. "Let rest up there and see what we can see."

After making the short climb up the slight incline, Olivia wearily sat down with her back up against the stone wall.

No sooner did Teal'c put Luanda down than the girl stabbed a finger at O'Neill and said, "I have sworn a blood oath against the--"

"Sit down and shut the hell up!" O'Neill barked at her. "We don't have time for your nonsense right now!"

Still livid, Luanda sullenly took a seat next to Olivia.

Olivia had finally caught her breath when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She glanced up and saw that it was Daniel. "You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good."

He handed her a canteen. "Have some water," he said. "And feel free to share it with her," Daniel added, pointing at Luanda. "That is, if she doesn't bite your hand off."

"Thanks," Olivia replied, as she took a swig. When she offered it to Luanda, the girl angrily shook her head. "I'll leave it here," Olivia said, placing the canteen by Luanda's leg. "In case you get thirsty, ok?"

Luanda still glowered at her as Olivia got to her feet and walked over to where the SG1 team stood on the very edge of the ledge. They were watching what appeared to be a large fire in the distance. "What's happening?"

"Looks like the Jaffa blew up the caverns," Sam told her. "But only after driving everybody out. It doesn't make sense."

"It is indeed an unusual tactic for Jaffa warriors," Teal'c commented. "They allowed the Kelori to escape."

They were all startled into silence by the sound of a horn that blew in the distance. The horn sounded again--a low, plaintive bellow that could be heard for miles--as the long line of Jaffa warriors once more came into view in the gathering dimness. The eerie sight of their glowing red eyes were joined by something else--the multiple flashing at the end of their staff weapons.

Olivia gasped when she recalled the Jaffa earlier who was about to shoot her with his staff weapon: the pod at the end had given off a flash when it split open.

"They're powering up their weapons," Daniel said.

When the horn sounded a third and final time, the Jaffa finally opened fire into the forest. And Olivia's blood ran cold when she heard a new sound: people screaming in terror, and pain.

"They're shooting them down!" Olivia whispered. "They drove everybody into the woods, only to shoot them down like animals!"

"That's just it," O'Neill said softly. "That was their plan all along…."

"What was, sir?" Sam asked, alarmed.

"Daniel said that Neith was the goddess of warfare…and of the hunt," O'Neill grimly told her. "This was why the Jaffa never opened fire in the cavern."

"They were driving everybody out of the shelter, and into the woods," Daniel said, sounding sick. "To be hunted."

"And now the hunt has begun," Teal'c muttered with disgust.

"I think it would probably be best if we kept moving," O'Neill said, glancing at the others. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Olivia stared in horror as the line of Jaffa warriors advanced into the forest, spewing multiple death rays from their staff weapons. The forest itself was alit from the blast of their weapons alone.

She was startled when Sam placed a hand on her shoulder. "Olivia," she said gently. "C'mon."

"Uh, yeah…." Olivia muttered, still stunned. Earlier today, she was worried about how she would ever get back home.

Now, Olivia wasn't sure how she would even survive this night.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

I would like to thank _SVU Chicky, Barbarossa Rotbart, mia66, Piper-jacko06-Butterflygirl _and_ Andre_a for their kind words. Would you believe that I was able to get this chapter done so fast because I got snow? In mid-November! That's what I get for living on a mountain, I suppose.

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Three**

"I've got him," Elliot said, when he emerged from the elevator with the building superintendent. "You have any luck?"

"None," Fin replied, as he switched his cell phone off. He and Munch stood in the hallway just outside Olivia's apartment. "After banging on the door, I just tried calling her again. Still no answer either way."

"I really hope nothing's wrong," Mr. Millstein, the super, said. "Detective Benson is one of our favorite tenants."

"Just open the damn door!" Elliot snapped at him.

"Hey, Elliot, calm down," Munch said.

"I'll calm down when I know Liv is safe and sound," Elliot replied. No word had been heard from Olivia since last night, and when she failed to show up for work this morning--without calling in sick--Elliot began to get really worried.

When Millstein opened the door using the master keys, it only swung open a crack, thanks to the door chain.

"Christ, it's been locked from the inside," Elliot muttered, his heart sinking. He stuck his face into the narrow opening and shouted: "LIV! OLIVIA!"

Still no answer, and the apartment sounded eerily quiet.

"To hell with it," Elliot said, as he took a step back and then kicked the door in. The door chain tore out a strip of wood from the wall as the door swung all the way open.

"No, sir," Munch said to the super, who was about to go in with them. "For your own protection, please wait outside."

Elliot and Fin entered Olivia's apartment with their guns drawn. Elliot called Olivia's name repeatedly, yet there was no answer. After a quick check, the three detectives determined that there was nobody in the apartment at all. Which was a relief to Elliot, because it meant that Olivia wasn't lying dead on the floor--yet his worries had not ended, because he still did not know what had happened to her, or where she was right now.

"Look at this!" Munch called.

Both Elliot and Fin came over to where Munch stood in the living room. On the coffee table was a half-eaten meal of Chinese food.

"Either she didn't get to finish, because she left," Fin said, "or she got interrupted by something…or someone."

"Her gun and badge are still here," Elliot said, shaking his head. "She wouldn't have left without them."

"The chain was still on the door," Munch commented. "If Liv had been abducted, where did her kidnappers take her out?"

"There's a fire escape outside her bedroom window," Elliot replied. "But that window's still locked from the inside."

"Did you check the clos--" Munch started to say, then stopped when he looked at Elliot.

"Did we check the closets, or under the sink, in case Liv's body had been stuffed in there?" Elliot angrily asked. "Was that what you were going to say, Munch?!"

"We'll check them," Fin calmly told Elliot. "You stay here. All right?"

Elliot punched his own hand in frustration as he waited alone in the living room. 'Maybe she got lucky, and spent the night with somebody,' he hopefully thought. 'Maybe Liv had such a great time, that she simply forgot to--'

But Elliot then shook his head when he realized that Olivia would never forget to call the precinct. One time, she had gone rock climbing upstate with Alex Cabot and several other of her girlfriends. When their car broke down on the day they were supposed to head back home, Olivia called right up and told everybody the situation. Cragen had told her to take the day off, yet Olivia still managed to show up later that afternoon at the one-six, still clad in her hiking clothes. Olivia's dedication was so great, that if he didn't hear from her, Elliot always assumed something disastrous had happened.

'Just like now,' he thought, as he somberly stared at a half-eaten meal on the table. Something very bad had occurred to his partner, and Elliot had never felt more helpless than he did right now.

Munch and Fin returned. Munch shook his head. "We searched every nook and cranny; she's not here."

Elliot let out a sigh of relief. He still didn't know where Olivia was, but at least she wasn't dead. There was that slim hope, at least. "We'd better call CSU," Elliot said resignedly.

"Yeah," Fin replied solemnly. "The sooner we get the process started, the better."

As Munch made the call, Captain Cragen entered the apartment with a grim look on his face.

"Cap," Elliot said, startled. "I was just about to call you."

"You got anything?" Cragen asked shortly.

"Nothing, she's not here," Fin said. "But what's weird was that the door was locked from inside and the chain was on. Plus, all the windows are locked from inside as well."

Elliot pointed at the half-eaten Chinese food. "Apparently Liv was interrupted during dinner--and now you know about as much as we do."

"CSU's on the way," Munch announced, as he closed his cell phone.

Cragen appeared to brace himself as he took a deep breath. "Just got a call from the District Attorney's Office. Casey never showed up for work today, either."

"Oh man," Fin dismally muttered. "Not the both of them…."

"They had a pair of uniforms swing by her place," Cragen said. "Same thing as here. The door had been locked from within, the chain was on, all windows were locked; her bed looked like it was slept in--yet no sign of Casey."

Munch slowly shook his head. "First Liv is gone, and now Casey?"

"It's not just them," Cragen said. "I've got a call from Captain Ross, over at the Major Case Squad, and he says they've been swamped with several more cases of people who have disappeared in exactly the same manner--all from locked houses and apartments."

"What the hell is going on here, Cap?" Elliot said, unsettled.

"We're going to find out, Elliot," Cragen firmly told him.

_**SG1: SVU**_

Olivia awoke, startled.

For a brief second, she thought the events of last night had been nothing but a bad dream. Then Olivia looked down at Luanda, who was fast asleep, cuddled up against Olivia's body, and realized that everything she had experienced had been all too real.

They had all run from the Jaffa hunting parties, deep into the darkening forest, where the only illumination came from the multiple shafts of moonlight that fell between the canopy of leaves. Yet no matter how fast, or far, they had run, the Jaffa always appeared to be right on their tail. There was talk about making a stand--yet it was tempered by the fact that their adversaries far outnumbered them. If they did tried to fight back, it would be a suicidal gesture.

But there had been a confrontation. As Olivia, Luanda and the SG1 team ran up a narrow pathway, a trio of Jaffa had jumped out in front of them, their red eyes glowing, and staff weapons at the ready. O'Neill, Teal'c, Sam and Daniel had all shot the Jaffa group down before they could make a further move. However, the sound of their gunfire had alerted the other Jaffa hunting parties, who began to mercilessly close in on all of them.

It was actually Luanda who saved them. She recognized an old hiding place where she used to play as a young girl. It was a space under a giant slab of rock on an incline in the ground. After they all took shelter within, Teal'c and O'Neill quickly covered the opening with bushes and tree branches.

Then they all sat back and nervously waited as the Jaffa hordes fell upon the area around them. Olivia held her breath until their hunters had gone past.

"It's a damn good thing they're not using bloodhounds," O'Neill whispered.

"Neith _is_ the goddess of the hunt, Jack," Daniel whispered back, "she could have very well introduced the idea of using bloodhounds, or some other type of animal in--"

"Daniel," O'Neill had calmly said, "shut up."

They had spent the rest of the night just sitting there in silence. Olivia never even knew she had fallen asleep until she woke up just now. Her body had become cramped sleeping in the same position, yet she was hesitant to wake Luanda, who looked so peaceful, curled up as she was in the nook of Olivia's arm.

Still, Olivia's arm was going numb, so she very gently moved the sleeping Luanda aside until she was able to get up. As she rose to her feet, Olivia saw that she and the girl had been the only ones left in the hiding space. She could hear the SG1 team speaking quietly just outside.

Olivia emerged from the hiding space to see O'Neill leaning up against the rock, cradling his machine gun in his arms. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c stood close by to him in a tight circle. When he saw her, O'Neill said, "Morning, Olivia. Sleep well?"

"I'm amazed that I slept at all," she said. "What's going on? Is the hunt over?"

"No," Daniel grimly replied. "We've only just heard the horns sound again a few minutes ago."

"They sounded like they were quite a ways away from here," Sam quickly added, when Olivia looked alarmed. "So it appears we're safe."

"For now," Teal'c added darkly

"How's Luanda?" O'Neill asked. "Last I saw of her she was using you as a pillow."

Olivia couldn't help but smile at that. "She's still asleep."

"Good," O'Neill said, as he glanced at his watch. "We'll let her sleep another hour before we move out."

Daniel frowned at him. "Move out to where?"

"Back to the main base," O'Neill replied.

"We're headed back to Neith's stronghold?" Sam asked, looking startled.

O'Neill nodded. "Think about it. If Neith's got her whole Jaffa force out here in this hunt, then that means that her guards around the stargate must be seriously depleted."

"You are assuming that she does not have a reserve force, O'Neill," Teal'c reminded him.

"Even so, Teal'c, there's another problem: we're way overdue for our last communications check," O'Neill countered. "Which means Hammond will be sending another SG team to check up on us, and once they step through the stargate…."

"They'll be walking right into a meat grinder," Sam said in despair. "The Jaffa guarding the gate will cut them down."

"Exactly," O'Neill said. "At the very least, even if _we_ can't get to the stargate, I want us to provide enough cover for that other team to be able get back to the SGC and tell them what's going on here."

Teal'c nodded his approval. "This is a good plan, O'Neill."

"Agreed, sir," Sam said. "But it might get very dicey for us."

"When is it ever _not _dicey for us?" O'Neill asked.

Sam nodded. "Good point."

"O'Neill," Teal'c said, gesturing with a nod.

They all looked over to see Luanda standing at the mouth of the hiding space, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, well, if it isn't young Xena, the Warrior Princess," O'Neill said in jest. "And how are we this fine morning, Your Highness?"

"My name is Luanda," she corrected O'Neill, giving him a frown as she came over and stood by Olivia, taking the woman's hand in her own.

"Looks like you've made a friend," Sam said with a smile to Olivia.

Olivia smiled down at Luanda. "You sleep well?"

Luanda nodded as she solemnly gazed at the grassy ground, still clutching Olivia's hand.

"Either of you guys hungry?" Daniel asked Olivia and Luanda, as he rummaged through his backpack. "I've got some granola bars in here, somewhere…."

"I'm fine, thanks, Daniel," Olivia said.

"What's a granola bar?" Luanda wanted to know.

"It tastes very good!" Sam assured her.

"Go on, try it," Olivia encouraged the girl, who accepted the granola bar that Daniel offered.

Luanda took the slightest of nibbles on the edge of the bar. When her face lit up with approval, she started taking larger, heartier bites. Luanda released Olivia's hand and began to shyly chat with Daniel as she ate.

"Is it me," O'Neill whispered to Olivia and Sam, "or is she a little less boisterous this morning?"

"She just watched her entire world be destroyed in a matter of hours by the Jaffa," Olivia murmured. "Hell, if I witnessed the same thing happen to my home, I'd be in a fetal position on the ground for a week!"

Sam nodded. "Not to mention the fact that we don't know what happened to Sartor. As much as I hate to say it, but she may well be an orphan now, sir. Considering all that, I'd say Luanda's holding up remarkably well."

"Yeah, she's a tough kid," O'Neill said. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "We'll take her back with us, through the gate--that is, assuming we get that far."

"Shall we proceed to the base, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked. "Given that Luanda has already awakened…"

"Yeah," O'Neill said, as he glanced at his watch again. "It'll be two hours before Hammond sends the rescue team, so that'll give us more than enough time if we get started now."

"So, I guess we 'saddle up'?" Olivia asked with a smile.

O'Neill grinned at her. "Looks like you're getting the hang of this, Olivia."

That made Olivia pause for a second. "Yeah, um, there's something I need to tell you guys."

The SG1 team and Luanda all stopped to stare at Olivia.

"I've only known all of you for barely a day, now," Olivia said, choosing her words carefully. "And, maybe it's because we've been through so much in so little time, but I feel very close to all of you. My friends, my really close friends, call me Liv. And, well, I'd like for all you guys to call me Liv."

Sam looked touched. "Thanks, Liv."

"Liv," O'Neill said with a nod. "I like that."

Daniel smiled. "Liv, it is."

As they all started to walk in the direction of Neith's stronghold, Teal'c nodded to Olivia. "Thank you very much, Olivia Benson."

His response made Olivia give him a double take. "Oh, no, Teal'c, I mean that you can now call me--"

Sam placed a hand on Olivia's arm. "Teal'c has never called us by anything other than our full names since for as long as we've known him, Liv."

"Yeah, it's his way," O'Neill added. He glanced at Teal'c and said, "You wacky guy, you!"

Teal'c, still smiling, merely gave him a slight shrug.

"I thought your name was Olivia?" Luanda asked, puzzled.

"Liv is a nickname," Daniel explained, as they continued walking. "It's a shortened version of her full name. For instance, we would call you Lu."

Luanda's eyes grew wide with shock. "Lu is a boy's name! You call me that, and I shall pluck your eyeballs out!"

Daniel just stared at her, stunned, with his mouth hanging open.

"Such an _adorable_ little tyke, isn't she?" O'Neill muttered, as he put his sunglasses on.

_**SG1: SVU**_

Mo'at was very angry.

As he quickly strode the vast corridors of the Mothership, the Jaffa warriors who stood guard each snapped to attention as he passed, in honor of Mo'at's title as the First Prime to Her Lord Empress Neith.

The initial reports from the hunt had been very good, as expected. There were the few casualties here and there, where a Jaffa had been caught off guard--yet that did not matter to Mo'at. If a Jaffa was stupid enough to let the prey get the better of him, then he deserved to be killed. This weeding out process during these hunts helped to keep the imperial armies of Her Lord Empress Neith pure with only the finest of warriors.

Yet there was a problem--at least according to Nacre, the Royal Physician, who had summoned the First Prime. Technically the Lord Empress did not require the use of a doctor, since she had her own healing powers. The Royal Physician post was created by Neith to serve mainly for science/medical research and experimental purposes. Mo'at entered the medical laboratory, where the elderly man strode up to him and said, "Thank you, First Prime Mo'at, for gracing us with your presence!"

"Enough!" Mo'at said, waving his hand with impatience. "Get to the point, Royal Physician. Unless you wish to become a patient in your own hospital!"

"Of course, First Prime. We have received three more Jaffa bodies from the hunt."

"Three more idiots who were foolish enough to get themselves killed," Mo'at sneered. "Of what consequence is this news?"

"It is the manner in which they were killed," the Royal Physician replied. "Not by arrow, nor spear…but by this."

The Royal Physician held up a metal tray, and when Mo'at saw the object in the center of the tray, his eyes--which were painted Egyptian-style with black eyeliner--flared wide with shock.

He took the object from the Royal Physician and went directly to the top of the Mothership, to the Imperial private quarters. Mo'at entered the sun room, the uppermost place in the pyramid-shaped vessel, and approached the solitary figure who sat as still as a statue atop a regally adorned throne.

Mo'at placed the tray down on the floor, and then bowed before the figure on the throne with his fists crossed in front of his chest--a gesture which mimicked the imperial crest he wore on his chest: two arrows crossed over a shield.

"Forgive me for disturbing your mediation, my Lord Empress," he said humbly. "However, a situation has arisen in the hunt which requires your attention."

He gestured at the object on the tray. "Three of our Jaffa were killed during the hunt by objects like this."

The figure, who wore a fully painted Egyptian mask of a woman over her entire head, moved for the first time when she leaned forward. Then she extended a hand towards Mo'at.

Mo'at placed the object in her hand, being careful not to touch her--for those who dared to touch the Lord Empress were subjected to a penalty of immediate death.

The regal figure then held the small metallic object up to the lifeless face of her mask and examined it. "It is a bullet," she said, her voice echoing hollowly throughout the room, "from the P90 submachine gun, the weapon of choice of the Tauri Stargate teams. They are still here, Mo'at."

"The ones who gunned down the assault team from yesterday?" Mo'at asked. "Forgive me, my Lord Empress, but I thought they would have fled the planet by now."

"Either they are unable to escape, or unwilling," the figure replied. She waved a hand. "No matter. I want them taken alive and unharmed."

Mo'at bowed again, once more crossing his fists together in front of his chest. "As you command, my Lord Empress, they shall be brought to you alive and unharmed, as soon as they are hunted down by--"

"No, recall the main hunting force, and keep them hidden in the woods north of here, out of sight," the figure commanded. "Order the hunt commander and his team to continue their normal hunting pattern, making sure they also continue to sound the horns every so often."

"Yes, my Lord Empress," Mo'at said, unable to keep the confusion out of his voice. The Lord Empress was deliberately stripping the hunt commander of all his forces, yet still sending him onwards as though nothing were amiss? They would continue blowing the horn to rally a hunting party that did not exist?

"And put the reserve force in an encampment in the fields surrounding the ship," she added.

Once again, Mo'at said, "Yes, my Lord Empress."

The figure leaned forward in her throne and held out her hand. "They shall come to us, Mo'at. They shall step right into the palm of our hand--" She then closed her outreached hand into a tight fist "--and we shall have them!"

Now Mo'at could not help but smile broadly. He still wasn't sure what her plan was--but Mo'at did not need to know; all he had to do was to carry it out. "As you command, my Lord Empress."

The figure sat back in her throne. "Finally, my dear Mo'at, the insolent Tauri shall receive the divine wrath for which they so well deserve!"

Mo'at excused himself as his Lord Empress burst into hysterical laughter, which echoed off the walls of the sun room. To the First Prime, the laughter of his beloved ruler sounded as sweet as the first patter of rain--just before the cleansing thunderstorm.

_**SG1: SVU**_

"Chevron four--encoded!"

First Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey nervously tugged at the chin strap of her helmet as she stood waiting with her SG team in the gate room. Her blond hair was done up in a braid, which the damned helmet had squashed against her head, making her feel more uncomfortable than she already was. Fully clad in combat gear, including her Kevlar vest, she was physically ready for anything. But emotionally…that was another thing.

"Chevron five--encoded!" Sergeant Harriman's voice called over the intercom.

Hailey always hated that countdown. It was nothing personal against Sergeant Harriman, who was just doing his duty, but she never liked listening to the Chevron countdown as the stargate dialed its destination. Especially now--when it was bad enough that they didn't know what the hell they would encounter once they stepped through the stargate--the countdown almost sounded like a grim foreshadow of doom.

"Chevron six--encoded!"

Of course, it didn't help that SG-12, the team which Hailey was a part of, were essentially going out on a search (and possibly rescue) mission to see what had become of SG-1, who were way overdue. Hailey supposed that she should be grateful that Colonel Melham, their commander, had insisted that they all be fully battle-ready. Each member would be going through with their weapons in hand, locked and loaded.

But they still had no idea what they would encounter. Jack O'Neill, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson, and Sam Carter--the latter Hailey thought of as a mentor and friend--all seemed so indomitable. And anything that could take down SG-1, one of the best teams in the Stargate Command, would have to be pretty damned formidable.

'And here we are,' Hailey grimly thought, 'getting ready to dive into the thick of it!'

"Chevron seven--wide!"

The stargate flared as what appeared to be a whirlpool of water momentarily pushed outwards, then settled back into the event horizon. It looked like a flat, silvery pool of water that lay vertically. Hailey wondered what they would encounter once they stepped through that silver wall.

Second Lieutenant Satterfield gave Hailey a tight smile. "You ready?" she asked.

"I was born ready," Hailey said, mustering up as much gusto as she could.

But Satterfield, not convinced, shook her head. "You always were a bad liar, Jenny."

"Can the chatter," Melham ordered, as he glanced up at the control room for the ok.

On the other side of the glass, General Hammond gave him the thumbs up. "You have a go," he said over the intercom. "Good luck, SG-12!"

"We'll bring SG-1 back home, sir!" Melham promised.

"Or die trying!" Sergeant Cullman, the fourth member of SG-12 swore, as he brought his M60 machine gun up to bear.

Hailey flinched inwardly at Cullman's remark. 'Oh, jeez, talk about tempting fate! Why don't we just smash a damn mirror while we're at it?!'

"All right, let's move out!" Melham ordered.

SG-12 all began walking up the ramp, side by side.

'Please God, let it just be a bad transmitter!' Hailey prayed, as she stepped through the event horizon of the stargate with her team.

**_SG1: SVU_**

"Damn it," O'Neill said. He gazed with contempt at the vast army of Jaffa in the valley below them. There appeared to be at least several hundred that surrounded the stargate--not to mention the additional thousand more that were camped out on the open ground nearby. "Just how many of these guys does Neith have in that mothership, anyway?!"

As he surveyed the multitude of warriors below them, Daniel asked, "Maybe they're the main force, called back from the hunt?"

"We have only just heard the horns sound again," Teal'c said. "And from quite a distance behind us. The main body of Jaffa are still out hunting."

Sam gave O'Neill a wide-eyed look. "If these guys are just the reserve force, then Neith must be packing them in like sardines on board the mothership!"

Olivia pointed at the stargate, which began flashing a series of lights around its outer rim. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Oh no!" O'Neill said. "They're coming through already!"

"Jack, I thought the 'check-up' team wasn't coming through for another hour!" Daniel said, stunned.

"Knowing Hammond, he sent them early," O'Neill said with a grimace. "Everybody take up sniper positions--except you, Liv. Your zat doesn't have the range from this distance. Just stay behind and guard our flank, ok?"

"Uh, ok," Olivia said nervously. "Um…Jack? Guard your flank means I watch your back, right?"

"You got it," O'Neill told her. "We'll make an Air Force officer out of you, yet, Liv!"

Olivia was about to say that she'd settle for getting back home, until she thought better of it. Luanda huddled down beside her as Olivia knelt on the ground and opened her zat. As she anxiously kept vigil on the hillside above them, Olivia shook her head and wondered just what the hell her chances were at surviving this insane situation were.

**_SG1: SVU_**

No sooner did she emerge on the other side than were Hailey's worse fears confirmed. There was a Jaffa army the size of which Hailey had never seen before surrounding the gate.

"Tal shak!" a Jaffa voice roared.

Within a split second, Hailey saw the figure who had spoken--he wore a serpent head and stood behind a line of Jaffa warriors; all of whom had their staff weapons aimed right at them.

"Everybody take cov--" Melham began to say--

--just before his head had been evaporated in an energy blast.

As she reacted with horror and shock at the death of Colonel Melham, a small voice at the back of Hailey's mind solemnly informed her that, as the second highest ranking officer in SG-12, she was now in command.

'_Ohmigod!_' Hailey thought in a flash panic.

"Oh, sweet Jesus!" Satterfield cried, as she watched the headless body of their commanding officer fall to the ground.

"Get down, now!" Hailey shouted. Cringing under the withering hail of laser fire from the Jaffa, she held up her P90 and pulled the trigger; one Jaffa, caught in her fire of bullets, fell from the ranks.

Despite the sheer panic on her face, Satterfield also returned fire with her own P90. "Get down?! Jenny, where?!"

"The DHD!" Hailey commanded. "Get behind the DHD, now!"

The three remaining members of SG-12 dived behind the Dial Home Device. Cullman glanced over at the headless Colonel with horror. "Oh God, Colonel…."

"Grieve for him, later, Cullman," Hailey ordered. "Right now, I want to hear that M60 sing!"

"You got it, Lieutenant," Cullman grimly replied. He laid flat on his stomach and began shooting the large caliber weapon. The spray of bullets cut down several Jaffa who were trying to outflank them.

When she noticed a bright light had abruptly vanished, Hailey glanced at the stargate behind them. The reflective event horizon had vanished as the stargate shut down, looking for all the world like the giant metal ring that it basically was.

As she fired at the attacking Jaffa from behind the cover of the DHD, Hailey realized that they would have to turn the stargate back on to get back home, anyway--yet the only way to do that was to dial the gate, and the only way they could dial the gate is to expose themselves to enemy fire. The Jaffa were doing a marvelous job at keeping them pinned down.

"At least we know what happened to SG-1!" Satterfield shouted. She kept firing her weapon at the seemingly suicidal Jaffa who charged at them. "They've been captured--or worse!"

"Yeah," Cullman said miserably, "just like we will be!"

Hailey watched a group of advancing Jaffa get mowed down by suppressing fire--but it didn't come from them. And the Jaffa had been cut down by what looked like the energy bolts from a staff weapon. The attacking hordes of Jaffa slowed in their advance as they all looked up to see where this new incoming fire was coming from.

Hailey glanced up at the ridge and smiled broadly when she saw the four figures who fired at the Jaffa. "Satterfield, Cullman, you're wrong! Look up the ridge, at two o'clock. It's SG-1!"

As her teammates cheered and whooped, Hailey glanced at the overwhelming force that lay before them and made a very hard decision. "We can't get them out, the enemy force is too overwhelming. But we can at least get back and apprise the SGC of the situation."

"How are we gonna--" Satterfield started to ask.

"You will dial the gate," Hailey firmly told her, "and Cullman and I will cover you."

Despite the fact that Satterfield stared at Hailey as if she were crazy, she nodded. "All right," Satterfield said, sounding oddly calm. "I mean, what the hell? I've got nothing better to do today…."

Hailey gripped a grenade in her hand and said, "On my mark, let's give them a pineapple surprise!"

**_SG1: SVU_**

Sam's eyes went wide when she thought she recognized one of the three figures taking cover behind the DHD. "Sir, one of them looks like Jennifer Hailey!"

"Just keep firing!" O'Neill ordered. "Keep the bastards diverted from the gate long enough for them to escape!"

Sam kept firing on the Jaffa below them. All the while, she kept an eye on Hailey and her team--one of whom lay on the ground, looking very dead. Sam was then startled to see Hailey, along with a male member of her team and another woman--was it Satterfield?--pop up from behind the DHD and throw grenades at the hordes of Jaffa in front of them. Just as the grenades exploded, tearing up the forward lines of the Jaffa, Hailey and her teammates all ran around to the opposite side of the DHD.

'Oh, no you don't!' Sam thought, as she shot down a Jaffa who tried to attack Hailey and her team.

Teal'c came over by Sam's side and aided her by expertly picking off the attacking Jaffa warriors with his staff weapon.

Hailey's team managed to dial the gate and get it started up. They began running towards it even before the event horizon had stabilized.

Sam grimaced when she saw the male member of SG-12 fall, as if hit. Hailey and Satterfield came back for him. They each pulled his arms over their shoulders and ran like hell for the safety of the stargate. Even the wounded man tried to hobble as fast as he could.

"Go, Hailey, go!" Sam muttered, as she kept shooting. "Get back home…."

_**SG1: SVU**_

"They are almost through the gate, my Lord Empress," Mo'at reported from his console.

The figure that sat in the throne behind him never even moved as she said, "Why don't we send them a parting gift, Mo'at?"

"As you wish, my Lord Empress." Mo'at smiled broadly as he pressed a button. "The gift has been sent."

On the side of the mothership, a massive Egyptian symbol abruptly slid to one side, as a guided missile roared out of its launch tube.

**_SG1: SVU_**

"Jack, look!" Daniel shouted. "The mothership!"

From the smoke that appeared on the side of the pyramid, Olivia initially thought the mothership had been hit. But then she saw a contrail arc high up into the air, and realized that the mothership had opened fire at them.

Sam abruptly got up and ran over to Olivia. "Take Luanda and get out of here! Now, Liv!"

"What about you?!" Olivia asked. "I'm not leaving without--"

"Damn it, Liv, don't argue--" Sam started to say, until Teal'c called her name.

"The missile," Teal'c said, as he gestured with his staff weapon. "Observe!"

"You sons of bitches," O'Neill said angrily, as they watched the missile begin to dive down, away from them--and right towards the stargate.

O'Neill keyed his radio and urgently said, "Incoming! Incoming! SGC, you have an incoming missile! Shut the iris now! I say again: Shut the iris--"

He stopped when the Goa'uld missile screamed straight into the stargate. There was a bright flash, and Olivia, expecting an explosion, instinctively shielded Luanda. However, there was no booming noise, nor any rain of debris. When Olivia and Luanda glanced at the stargate, it merely looked like a hollow circle once more.

"What happened?" Luanda asked.

"Damn good question," Olivia muttered. She gazed at SG1 and saw the grave expressions on their faces. "Is everything all right? Did the other team make it back?"

"We've got bigger problems of our own right now," Daniel said solemnly. He stared down at the huge army of Jaffa in the valley. "These guys have noticed we're up here, and they really look pissed!"

"Let's move out, now!" O'Neill called.

They all froze when they heard the bellow of the hunting horns once more, this time it sounded very close--just over the ridge above them.

When Olivia glanced up in that direction, she was stunned to see a long line of Jaffa had appeared up there. The Jaffa had their staff weapons aimed right at her and the SG-1 team.

"Looks like the hunting party's back," Daniel said grimly. "They must have really hustled, in order to return here in time to--"

"They were never that far away," O'Neill said, shaking his head. "It was all a ruse."

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed. We were led to believe by the horns that the main hunting force were much further away than they actually were."

"Don't look so shocked, Daniel," O'Neill said. "Neith _is_ the goddess of the hunt, after all."

"And of warfare," Sam whispered somberly.

"It's what she does best--as we've just seen," O'Neill said. "She outfought us and hunted us down."

"What do we do now?" Luanda asked, scared.

Olivia was startled as a large sphere-shaped object abruptly shot up from the valley below. No sooner did it appear than O'Neill shouted, "EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"

Sam tackled both Olivia and Luanda to the ground, just as the sphere exploded in the air above them. Having the wind knocked out of her, it took a moment for Olivia to catch her breath.

"Sam?" she asked, lightly touching the blond woman's hair. Sam lay face down right on top of her and Luanda. "Hey, honey, you ok?"

Olivia, growing alarmed at the fact that Sam was not responding, quickly sat up and rolled Sam over on her back. Luanda got out of the way, yet stared on with a fearful expression as Olivia pulled the prone Air Force Major--whose eyes were closed--into her arms.

"Please, don't do this to me," Olivia whispered, as she gently touched Sam's neck for a pulse. "You were my one link to sanity, Sam. So please don't leave me alone in this nutty place, ok?! Please, I--"

Olivia let out a heavy sigh of relief when she felt Sam still had a strong, steady pulse. "She's alive; just knocked out, that's all! Oh thank God! Sam's still with us, Luanda. Hey, Luanda, do you…."

Olivia trailed off when she saw the girl recoil in terror at something that was behind them. When Olivia glanced up, she saw several dozen Jaffa now stood right behind her. They all held zat guns at her.

Olivia glanced over at O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c, who also all lay prone on the ground. "I hope you guys are just knocked out cold like Sam," she called to them. "I'd come and check you out, but, we've got visitors."

"Brenna! Ya wan ya duru!" one of the snake-headed Jaffa growled.

Gently placing Sam back on the ground, Olivia slowly stood up and held out her hand to Luanda. The girl took it as she tightly clung to Olivia's side. Olivia could feel Luanda's body shivering with mortal terror.

"No, don't be afraid of them, sweetie," she gently told the girl. The calmness of Olivia's voice belied her own tremendous fear. "They're just a bunch of bullies, that's all. Ain't that right, you sons of bitches?"

Olivia smiled slightly as a crazy idea occurred to her. "I'm Detective Olivia Benson, with the Special Victim's Unit of the New York City Police Department," she shouted at the massive assembly of Jaffa before her. "And you guys--all of you guys here--are under arrest for being very, very ugly!"

Two of the serpent-headed soldiers turned to stare at each other, as if sharing a puzzled glance.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Olivia barked at them. "Get down on your knees with your hands behind your head, your fingers inter--"

Olivia jerked back, still clutching Luanda, as they both reeled from having been shot by a zat gun. 'Well, attempting an arrest was worth a shot, anyway,' Olivia thought, as she and Luanda both fell backwards on the ground. 'Elliot would be proud….'

Gripped in the now familiar full-body numbness that accompanied being shot by a zat, Olivia took the last few seconds of consciousness she had to gaze down at Luanda--lying on top of her body, already knocked out--and then at Sam, who lay unconscious beside her.

'I don't care where I wake up this time,' Olivia thought as she blacked out, 'as long as we're all still together when it happens….'

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

_I would like to thank **Mia66** and **OEJS** for their kind words. And OEJS, rest assured, this story has been completely plotted out to the point where the ending has been written--I just have to get there, now. Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter._

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Four**

Major General George Hammond was already on his way back to his office upstairs when the visitor alert sounded throughout Stargate Command. Barely ten minutes had passed since he had just seen SG-12 off on their mission to check up on SG-1, and so this was either very good news, or very bad.

"Incoming traveler, sir," Sergeant Walter Harriman informed him, when Hammond arrived in the main stargate control room. Harriman did a double take when his computer screen flashed new information at him. "It's SG-12, sir!"

'No, this is not good at all,' Hammond thought grimly. SG-12 was coming back way too soon, and whenever _that_ happened, it was usually because a team was coming back 'hot', as in they were returning while under enemy fire.

Harriman, whose hand hovered over the control which would have closed the iris over the stargate, sat back in his seat and anxiously watched--along with Hammond--as three ragged-looking figures emerged from the stargate's event horizon.

"Good Lord," Hammond said, once he got a good look at the sight of them. Sergeant Cullman, who was wounded in the leg, was being supported by Hailey and Satterfield. And there was no sign of Colonel Melham.

But just before Hammond could ask over the intercom what happened, Sergeant Harriman flinched when a new piece of information appeared on his screen. "Incoming message, sir!" he said. "And it's from SG-1!"

"Incoming! Incoming!" Colonel Jack O'Neill's voice urgently said over the speakers. "SGC, you have an incoming missile! Shut the iris now! I say again: Shut the iris--"

Hammond frantically gestured at the Sergeant. "Walter, close the--!"

"Already done, sir," Harriman replied, as he hit the switch.

A gunmetal colored shield, which consisted of a multitude of metallic plates, all converged over the stargate, protecting everyone within the gate room from the oncoming destruction.

When the missile smashed against the iris, Hammond was startled by the force of the impact, which actually buckled several of the metal plates. The stargate abruptly shut down a few seconds later. Hammond turned to tell Harriman to call Dr. Fraiser, only to discover the sergeant was already making the call on the base intercom.

Hammond entered the gate room and strode up to what was left of SG-12. Hailey, Satterfield and Cullman all sat wearily on the edge of the metal platform. Hailey started to rise to give Hammond a salute, until he waved her to sit back down. "As you were, Lieutenant. What happened? Where's Colonel Melham?"

"I regret to inform you, sir, that Colonel Melham is dead," Hailey told him, her voice quivering with emotion. "There was an army of Jaffa waiting for us on the other side. They opened fire as soon as we were through the gate."

"When you say 'an army' how many would you estimate?" Hammond asked. "Fifty, a hundred?"

"More like several hundred to a thousand, sir," Hailey replied flatly. "There was a landed Goa'uld mothership in the distance."

"Good Lord," Hammond muttered. Planet P3X-897, which SG-1 had been sent to explore, was out on the very fringes of the galaxy; no Goa'uld system lord had ever laid claim to it. 'So who the hell were this bunch, and where did they come from?' Hammond wondered. 'And, more importantly, what happened to SG-1?'

Dr. Janet Fraiser entered the gate room with a medical team and a stretcher. "What happened?" she asked.

"Sgt. Cullman has been hit, in the leg," Hammond informed her.

"By a Jaffa staff weapon," Cullman told Fraiser, as the doctor bent over to examine him.

Hammond glanced at the two Lieutenants with concern. "Have either of you been hit?"

Hailey and Satterfield shook their heads in the negative. They both had the dazed, thousand-yard stare of soldiers who had just seen combat.

"SG-1 saved us, sir," Hailey said.

"You've seen them?" Hammond asked eagerly.

"They were up on a ridge, providing sniper cover for us, while we dialed out." Hailey shook her head sadly. "We couldn't help them, though."

"There were too many damned Jaffa," Satterfield muttered, her gaze distant. "It was like looking out at a sea of snake heads!"

"And, my apologies, sir, but we were unable to take the Colonel's body back with us, " Hailey added, her voice breaking. "I know the SGC motto is that we leave no one behind…."

Hammond held up a hand. "You brought your team back home, Lieutenant. That's all that matters, now. I knew Buddy Melham very well," he added, his tone of voice soft. "And I can tell you that he would have been very proud of you, all of you. And, rest assured, we _will_ bring him back home, along with SG-1, no matter what happens."

Dr. Fraiser temporarily dressed Sergeant Cullman's leg wound, and then nodded at her attendants--who placed the sergeant on the stretcher and quickly wheeled him out of the gate room. She turned towards Hammond and said, "Sir, although the lieutenants haven't suffered any wounds, I'd still like to see them in the infirmary."

"Of course, doctor," Hammond replied with a nod. He glanced at Hailey and added, "We'll continue with the debriefing when you and Lt. Satterfield are done in the infirmary."

"Yes, sir," Hailey said. She began to walk away--until she noticed that Satterfield continued to sit on the platform, still looking stunned. Hailey came over and gently rubbed her teammate on the shoulder. "Hey, c'mon," she said gently. "Up and at 'em Lieutenant."

"What--? Oh, yeah," Satterfield said, as she snapped back to attention. The two young lieutenants joined Dr. Fraiser as she walked out of the gate room.

Hammond stared in disgust at the buckled iris. He supposed that he shouldn't be angry, for the iris did its job by blocking the Goa'uld missile and saving them all from annihilation. But, ironically, it was the very same damaged iris that now prevented them from using the stargate.

Hammond instinctively turned to tell Harriman to have Sergeant Siler report to the gate room--yet he was surprised to see Siler already walking up to the stargate, along with his maintenance team.

"I took the liberty of calling Sergeant Siler, sir," Harriman said over the intercom.

Hammond waved a thank you at Harriman. 'What they say is true,' he thought with a slight smile, 'the military really is run by the sergeants.'

Siler, looking over the damaged iris with a critical eye, shook his head and muttered something under his breath. Then he began to call out orders to his team, who quickly set up their equipment.

"How long do you figure before the iris is fixed?" Hammond asked Siler.

"Four hours, maybe more, sir," Siler said. "We only need to replace a section of the iris, but that includes the centerpiece, and that's usually a super-bitch to deal with."

"Try and cut that time in half, if not more, Sergeant," Hammond said. "SG-1's still out there, and they're in a heap of trouble."

Siler nodded. "Understood, sir. We'll do our best to shave it down as much as possible. I'll keep you posted in any event."

"Very good, Sergeant," Hammond muttered. He stood back and watched as Siler's team began to disconnect the power to the gate. It was a standard safety precaution that was done whenever work was underway on the stargate. Yet Hammond hated to be cut off from Jack O'Neill and his team like this, especially when SG-1 needed his help the most.

'Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c,' Hammond thought, as he stared forlornly at the damaged stargate. 'Just hold on, kids! Help is coming.'

**SG1: SVU**

When Olivia awoke, she found herself staring into Sam's smiling face.

"Hey," Sam said, looking relieved. She glanced away and added, "See, Luanda? She's fine."

When Luanda knelt down beside Olivia, she saw that the worried girl had tears in her eyes. "I was concerned for you, Liv!"

"I'm fine, sweetie," Olivia assured her, as she slowly sat up with Sam's help. She saw O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c were also huddled around her. They, along with Sam, had been stripped of all their gear--even their vests and jackets--and now wore just black t-shirts with their green pants and black boots.

"Oh, God, guys, you don't know how happy I am to see all of you again!" Olivia said, as she pulled a grinning Sam in for a hug. "I was afraid the Jaffa were going to stick me back in that damned tube."

O'Neill reached out with both hands grasped Olivia's. "It's good to see you, again, too, Liv. You sure you're feeling all right? You've been out longer than the rest of us."

"Yeah, those bastards zatted me," Olivia angrily muttered. She glanced sharply at Sam and said, "And just what the hell were you thinking, anyway, throwing yourself in the line of fire like that?"

"My job," Sam explained, "part of which is to protect civilians like you."

"I'm not a civilian," Olivia told her. "I'm a cop."

"Yeah, about that," O'Neill said. "Luanda's been telling us an interesting story about what happened on that ridge after we were knocked out. She told us that you 'arrested' the Jaffa? Care to elaborate?"

Olivia let out a short laugh, now feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Um, yeah, I identified myself as being a detective with the Special Victim's Unit, and…well, basically, I told all of them that they were under arrest for being very ugly."

"I like that," O'Neill said, nodding in approval. "I really like that! You've got gumption, Liv!"

Yet Teal'c was the only member of SG-1 who was not smiling. "I am not surprised that you stood your ground, Olivia Benson," he seriously intoned, "for you have proven yourself to be an extremely brave warrior."

"Now there's a helluva recommandation if I've ever heard one," O'Neill said, as he helped Olivia to her feet.

Olivia's heart sank when she noticed the black and gold décor of the room they were in, complete with Egyptian hieroglyphs that were written everywhere. There were a set of gold jail bars that covered the only doorway. "Oh, crud, I guess we've all been captured, huh?"

O'Neill held his hands out in a sweeping gesture. "Yes, welcome to the Goa'uld Regency Hotel. Our host, Neith, should be with us very soon."

Olivia's eyes grew anxiously wide. "They've said we're gonna meet her?!"

"No, uh, we actually haven't seen our captors since we woke up," Daniel replied. "And part of that's because we've been temporarily blinded by the shock grenade the Jaffa used to knock us out."

"Which is what Carter saved _you_ from going through, by the way," O'Neill told Olivia. "You didn't wake up blind like we just did."

"Oh, um, look, sweetie," Olivia quickly told Sam. "Never mind what I said before. Thanks!"

Sam just affectionately rubbed Olivia's arm in response as she smiled wanly.

"If you have not seen our captors yet, then how do you know they will take us to Neith?" Luanda asked the SG-1 team.

"Oh, we've had plenty of experience with this sort of thing," O'Neill said sagely.

"He means we've been captured by the Gou'ald more times than we've cared to count," Daniel said bluntly.

"Indeed," Teal'c muttered.

Olivia wasn't sure if being captured so many times was a good thing or not, until something occurred to her. "But you've managed to escape before, right?"

O'Neill gestured at Olivia and said, "Yes, we have. And thank you, Liv." He glared at Teal'c and Daniel. "Positive thinking always saves the day!"

"What can we expect?" Olivia asked. "If they do take us to see Neith?"

"A lot of blustering and bragging," O'Neill said with a heavy sigh. "One thing about the Goa'uld is that they _love_ to brag."

"O'Neill," Teal'c said urgently, as the sound of marching footsteps came down the hallway.

Luanda fearfully huddled up against Olivia as a small group of Jaffa were led straight up to the bars of their cell by a large bull of a man. Apparently the leader, the man was bald, with dark eyeliner done up in the Egyptian style. Like Teal'c, the leader had a tattoo on his forehead--only this man's tattoo was that of two arrows crossed over a shield. It matched the chest plate he wore.

"I am Mo'at," he told them with a grand air.

"Mo'at, huh?" O'Neill said, unimpressed. "Anybody tell you that you look just like Uncle Fester?"

Olivia stared at O'Neill as if he were insane. The last thing she'd figured they would try and do was to provoke their captors.

"I mean, is it just me?" O'Neill calmly asked Olivia. "Or does this guy really look like Uncle Fester? You know, from the Addams Family?"

Before a stunned Olivia could reply--not that she had any idea of _how_ to reply to what O'Neill said--Mo'at angrily smashed the bars of their cell with his staff weapon.

"SILENCE!" he roared. "I am to take you to see Her Lord Empress Neith."

"See?" O'Neill wearily muttered to Olivia. "Just as predictable as ever."

Olivia smiled slightly at O'Neill. She appreciated what he was trying to do. Olivia found his humorous bluster in the face of an overpowering enemy to be extremely comforting. She just hoped Mo'at didn't find it too irritating, or else O'Neill might suffer some painful consequences.

The Jaffa released them all from the cell and escorted them down a long, imposing corridor that appeared to be as broad as Eight Aveune. There were gigantic statues of various ancient Egyptian figures that lined the hall. Soon, they entered a vast chamber, where a large throne sat on top of a raised platform that had a multitude of marble steps on all four sides. The throne appeared to have a statue seated on it.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said quietly. "Observe the wall to your right."

"What?" Luanda asked Olivia. "What did he say?"

Yet Olivia had glanced up at the wall with O'Neill and the others, and was too stunned at what she saw there to even reply to the girl.

There were a collection of heads, all mounted on the wall on special plaques. At an initial glance, there were mainly various animal heads on display--both earth animals, as well as more exotic, alien-looking creatures--yet Olivia's eyes were drawn to the small group of Jaffa who were busy at the far end of the wall. They were mounting newer heads, just recently captured from the hunt.

And all of the heads they now placed on display were human.

"Oh, dear God…." Sam whispered, sounding utterly repulsed. "Sir…."

"Yeah, I see them, Carter," O'Neill grimly replied. "We are dealing with one sick puppy here, folks."

"See what?" Luanda asked Olivia. "What are they talking about?"

"Nothing sweetie," Olivia replied with a forced smile. She made sure to turn her body so that it blocked Luanda's view of that terrible wall.

"I am all that has been, that is, and that will be," a ghostly female voice echoed throughout the vast chamber. "No mortal has yet been able to lift the veil that covers Me."

"Up on the platform," Sam said, pointing. "Look!"

Olivia did a double take when the seated figure on the throne--which she had assumed was a statue--abruptly stood up and held out its arms.

The figure, who wore a large mask of an Egyptian female over her entire head, began to descend the steps. She was clad in a golden, strapless dress and her feet were bare. There was a gold medallion on her chest that gleamed in the dim light. It was a shield with two arrows crossed over it.

She then raised a hand to her medallion and touched it.

Olivia was stunned to see the large Egyptian-style mask the woman wore abruptly begin to break apart and fold up out of sight behind her head--revealing the slender, youthful face of a woman in her twenties with long black hair.

"You are all now citizens of the Netian Empire," she told them in a commanding voice. Her very eyes glowed inhumanly bright for a split second before returning to their natural hue. "I am your Lord Empress, Neith."

O'Neill nodded thoughtfully, then said, "So, in other words, what you're basically saying is that…you're a royal bitch."

"Rin nok!" one of the Jaffa shouted, as he belted O'Neill across the face with the end of his staff weapon. The blow sent O'Neill sprawling to the floor.

Olivia and Sam instinctively tried to go to O'Neill's aid, but were blocked from doing so by their Jaffa guards, who held up their staff weapons in front of the women. Teal'c was also prevented from helping his friend and commanding officer when Mo'at aimed his staff weapon right at his face.

Daniel, who was the closest to O'Neill, bent down beside him and asked, "You ok?"

"I'm ok--I think," O'Neill replied, holding his hand to his nose. He removed his hand from his face and asked, "You see any blood?"

Daniel shook his head as he gave O'Neill a hand in getting up. "Was that little remark really worth it?"

"Oh, yeah," O'Neill said, still defiant. "Always."

"I anticipated the day when we would finally engage the Tauri stargate teams," Neith said, as she stood before them with a smile spread across her face. "But to have captured the legendary SG-1 within our first encounter is a prize that even I dared not to hope for."

"Hey, hear that, kids?" O'Neill asked Sam, Olivia and Luanda. "We're legendary!"

Yet Daniel looked uneasy. "Uh, excuse me, Neith, if I may--"

"Address her as 'my Lord Empress Neith', dog!" Mo'at said, flying into a rage. He gestured for one of the Jaffa to hit Daniel.

"HOLD!" Neith commanded, just as the Jaffa was about to strike Daniel with his staff weapon.

The Jaffa, obeying Neith's order, quickly stood down.

"Dr. Jackson and his teammates have just recently become citizens of our beloved empire," Neith told Mo'at and the other Jaffa. "We shall grant them the courtesy of having ample time to learn our ways and customs."

Neith turned her attention to Daniel. "Did you wish to say something, Daniel Jackson?"

"Um, yeah," Daniel said, giving Jack and Teal'c an uneasy sideways glance. "Legend has it that you were banished from this part of the galaxy by Ra."

"I was," Neith confirmed. "And since Ra was foolish enough to allow himself to be vanquished by cattle, I have returned to my rightful place."

"And yet, for someone who's just recently returned, I couldn't help but notice that you seem to know an awful lot about us," Daniel said. "Even my name."

"I know all the members of SG-1: Colonel Jack O'Neill, Teal'c and Major Samantha Carter," Neith said, as she pointed to each member. "Your brilliant Sun Tzu, in his marvelous book, The Art Of War, has stated that one must know their enemy, as well as themselves. If they do this, they shall not fear the result of a hundred battles. And he was right, Daniel Jackson. In reading Sun Tzu, and other works of the Tauri, I have come to know my enemy very well, long before ever meeting them in battle."

"So you've actually been back for quite some time." Daniel then shook his head. "But if you've truly studied us, then you should know that Earth is protected from open invasion from the Goa'uld by the Asgard."

"I know everything, the whole pitiful story," Neith said with disgust. "The Goa'uld--these so-called system lords--have become nothing more than a band of squabbling children in the wake of Ra's death. And I also know that Ra was killed by none other than you and Colonel O'Neill."

"Whoops," O'Neill muttered. "So much for hoping she didn't know _that_ part."

"Fear not, Colonel," Neith told him. "For I owe you a debt of gratitide for ridding me of that hasshak, may he eternally rot! The stage has now been set for the Netian Empire to reclaim this portion of the galaxy once more."

"Pardon me, Your Lord Neith," O'Neill said, "or _my_ Lord Neith, or…whatever. But I don't think you realize just how powerful the Asgard are. I mean, they've got these really nasty starships that kick some serious ass. They actually named one of these babies after me, you know, but Carter--the silly goose--went and blew it up!"

Olivia glanced at Sam, who just closed her eyes and shook her head. "He's never gonna let me forget that, is he?" Sam whispered, irritated. "Even _now_…."

"Forget what?" Olivia asked in Sam's ear.

"Long story, Liv," Sam replied with a sigh.

"Right. Tell me later," Olivia told her. 'Assuming there is a later,' she grimly thought.

"My dear Colonel O'Neill," Neith said, "whatever makes you think it will be _my_ forces that will first engage the Asgard in battle? That is what the system lords are for. They shall fight the Asgard for me."

"Oh, whoa," O'Neill said, as he shared a stunned look with the group.

"Sir, that's why she abducted those people from earth!" Sam exclaimed. "She knew full well it was a direct violation of the Asgard treaty. She's trying to goad the system lords and the Asgard into a full-scale war!"

"And then--what?" O'Neill asked Neith. "You think you can just pick up the pieces when it's all over?" He shook his head. "No. The Asgard will--"

"Everyone has their weakness, including the Asgard," Neith said, cutting him off. "When the time come for my forces to confront the Asgard, they shall be already be greatly weakened after they've battled the system lords. And then, using a special weapon which I have discovered, we shall take advantage of their great weakness, and vanquish them just as you had vanquished Ra."

Before O'Neill could reply, Neith waved a hand. "I have enjoyed this chat. But now I must take my leave, for I have the conquest of a galaxy to plan." Neith gestured at Mo'at. "Separate them--the men from the women."

O'Neill and Daniel both began shouting as the Jaffa forcibly separated them from Sam, Olivia and Luanda.

"And what of this shol'va, my Lord Empress?" Mo'at asked, as he glared hatefully into Teal'c's stoic face.

"A Jaffa who turns against his master is a dangerous creature," Neith commented. "Teal'c must be taught to stay in his proper place. Take him down to the prison level with Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson. I want them to watch Teal'c as he suffers. And see to Teal'c's 'education' personally, Mo'at."

Mo'at smiled broadly. "With pleasure, my Lord Empress."

"The Goa'uld are false gods!" Teal'c defiantly called, as he--along with O'Neill and Daniel--were being led away by several Jaffa. "I shall never accept you as my god, and never will!"

Neith held up a hand, and the Jaffa halted in their tracks with their prisoners. She strode up to Teal'c and smiled. "I care not for the silly god-fantasies that the infantile system lords play, Jaffa. But you _will _accept and obey me as your Lord Empress, or you shall die."

"Then I die," Teal'c retorted. "Dal shakka mel!"

"A martyr to the end." Neith casually waved her hand at him. "So be it. Let us see just how self-righteous you remain after several hours of torture."

Neith snapped her fingers, and the Jaffa escorted Teal'c, O'Neill and Daniel out of the chamber. Neith then turned her attention to Olivia, Sam and Luanda. She made a grabbing motion with her hand, and the Jaffa standing behind the women grasped them, pulling Luanda away from Olivia's embrace in the process.

Neith nonchalantly inspected the frightened Luanda as though she were an item on sale. "Too young," Neith said with a scowl. "Put her to work in the slave quarters. If she survives, she may well make for a good host someday."

One of the Jaffa roughly hauled the crying Luanda out of the chamber.

A heart-broken Olivia wanted nothing more than to run after Luanda and beat the son of a bitch who carried her senseless, but she was helplessly in the grip of two Jaffa warriors. They held her up for inspection as Neith looked over Olivia's body with interest. She lifted Olivia's t-shirt and rubbed her stomach.

"Hey, back off!" Olivia snarled--yet there was little she could do.

"Very nice," she remarked. "I was planning on putting you back in your stasis tube, but now that I've got a good look at you, I see that you are a rare beauty. As is Major Car--"

Neith flinched in surprise as she took a step back from Sam. "You once carried a Goa'uld!"

"I was once host to Jolinar," Sam proudly said. "She was a Tok'ra."

Neith's eyes narrowed with disapproval. "Ah, yes, the Tok'ra. The rebel Goa'uld. Yet another abomination that the Netian Empire shall do away with, once we win the coming war. Take them both to the presentation room. I shall examine them further there."

Olivia and Sam were powerlessly escorted into a smaller chamber off to the side of the throne room, where they were both tossed onto the floor. The Jaffa left them alone, a solid black door sliding into place where the doorway used to be.

"Oh, God," Olivia moaned softly. She sat on the floor, bone-tired, feeling as if she were at the end of her very wits and strength. Olivia couldn't stop thinking about poor Luanda, and wondered what those bastards were doing to her right now.

Sam got up and went to the door. She felt around the walls with her hand. When Olivia saw this, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"There's usually a control panel of some kind for the door," Sam said, frowning in concentration. "But I don't see anything."

'Sam hasn't given up! She's still fighting,' Olivia realized, as she became filled with awe and admiration. 'So stop feeling sorry for yourself, get up off your ass, and go _help_ her, Benson!'

Olivia reached for what little reserve strength she had left and got to her feet. She helped Sam by also feeling the walls for something--anything--that might be a hidden control panel. "We looking for anything in particular?"

"Usually, it's pretty obvious," Sam replied. "There's always a big, honking panel right next to the door, but I don't see--"

She was interrupted when the wall on the opposite side of the room slid open to reveal a young woman holding a bowl in her hands. She entered the room and placed the bowl on the floor. Olivia saw she wore simple pants with a scant top. The woman had several garments folded over her arms, which she also placed on the floor.

A Jaffa warrior, sans his serpent helmet, also entered the room and stood guard by the doorway.

"You are to clean yourselves and change into these clothes for your inspection by Her Lord Empress," the woman told them with a bow.

Olivia stared at the Jaffa, who stood with a bored expression on his face, and saw that he was armed only with a zat gun.

'We can take him,' Olivia thought. She glanced at Sam and stared hard into her blue eyes. "We should do _exactly_ what they say, right, Sam?"

By the way she nodded her head ever so slightly, Sam indicated that she caught the double meaning in Olivia's words. "Yes, Liv, we should."

Olivia knelt down before the bowl of water and picked it up in her hands, as if to raise up to her face. Yet once she got the bowl as high as her chin, Olivia abruptly flung it at the Jaffa.

The Jaffa let out a growl as the bowl hit him dead square in the face, throwing him off balance against the wall.

Sam took that to be her cue to attack him by kicking the Jaffa in the stomach. When he doubled over, she expertly kneed him right in the chin--which sent the man careening against the wall. Once he was down, Sam reached for his zat--yet the Jaffa recovered more quickly then she'd expected and knocked her away with his fist.

Sam landed on the floor right by Olivia.

"Nemeth kree!" the Jaffa roared, as he reached for his zat gun.

But, to his surprise, it was no longer on his belt.

The Jaffa stared, stunned, as a smiling Sam raised the zat gun at him and charged it up.

"Kree _this_, slappy," Olivia said with a broad grin.

The Jaffa's body stiffened up as Sam zatted him. He landed in a heap on the floor.

"You all right?" Olivia asked, as she helped Sam to her feet. "He looked like he hit you pretty hard, there."

"I'm fine," she assured Olivia. "We'd better get moving, before--"

"This sort of behavior will _not_ be tolerated by Her Lord Empress Neith," the woman scolded them. She stood with her arms folded in front of her, and had the attitude of an angry schoolteacher who caught a pair of naughty schoolgirls. "You should just give me the zat, and surrender yourselves right now, or else--"

"You _really_ want the zat?" Olivia asked, as she took it from Sam and aimed it at the woman. "Here…."

Olivia was pleased to see the woman's snotty attitude vanish as she shot her with the zat. After her target fell unconscious to the floor, Olivia handed the zat back to Sam and muttered, "Jeez, what an obnoxious bunch!"

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Sam said. "Before somebody misses these two."

They both ran out the doorway and into a massive corridor. "Where are we?" Olivia asked. "Wasn't this where they just took us?"

"No," Sam said, as she sought to get her bearings. "There were statues in that other corridor. This one's different."

"Where are we going, anyway? What's the plan?"

"Rescue the others, as best we can," Sam replied. She gave Olivia an anxious look. "Right now, it's just you and me. And we're all alone aboard a Jaffa-infested mothership, with only a zat gun between us."

"You trying to cheer me up, Sam?" Olivia jokingly said. "Because it ain't working."

"All I'm saying is that it might get a lot worse before it gets any better, Liv--and that's assuming it even gets better at all. You sure you're up to this?"

"I've told you that I was cop. I've been in hairy situations before--granted, I've never faced anything like this, and not with so much at stake." Olivia placed her hand on Sam's shoulder. "But right here, right now, I consider you to be my partner, Sam. So don't worry: come hell or high water--no matter what happens--I've got your back."

Sam flashed Olivia a brilliant smile. "Thanks, Liv. You know, if we survive this, we've got to get together for lunch, or something. Just the two of us. I'd really like to get to know you better."

Now it was Olivia's turn to smile broadly. "Me too, Sam. You've got a deal."

"Right now, though, we're better off if we keep moving," Sam said, as she glanced up and down the corridor. "I'm not sure of which direction to go, but I've always been partial to going left."

"Sounds good to me," Olivia said.

As she ran down the corridor, side by side with Sam, Olivia once more wondered just what their chances were at surviving the next few hours, much less pulling off a rescue of the others. While she didn't know the odds--and maybe it was just as well she didn't--Olivia did know one thing.

'God help any Jaffa who gets in _our_ way,' she thought, with a sideways glance at Sam.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

_My thanks to **mia66**, **kira66** and **OEJS** for their kind words._

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Five**

Janet Fraiser stared out the briefing room window, at the maintenance crew as they worked on the damaged iris below her in the gate room. She was pleased to see that Sergeant Siler's team was working at such a fast pace, yet the helplessness that she felt right now was overwhelming. Her concern for Sam and the other members of SG-1 was so great that Janet would have gone down there and ripped the damaged panels of the iris from the stargate all by herself if she could.

"Doctor?"

Janet, startled out of her reverie, removed her hands from the pockets of her white doctor's coat as she strode over to General Hammond, who had called her. "Yes sir?"

"You have a call," he told her. "You can take it in my office."

"Thank you, sir." As she went into Hammond's office, Janet shook her head despondently, for she already knew who it was. She quickly picked up the phone. "Doctor Fraiser."

"Mom, have you heard anything?!" a frantic, teenaged voice asked on the other end of the line.

"Cassie, you can _not_ keep calling me like this," Janet patiently told her.

"Just tell me if you heard any news," Cassie pleaded. "Is Sam all right?"

"I haven't heard anything new since the last time you called, which was fifteen minutes ago," Janet sternly replied. She glanced over at the conference table and saw the meeting appeared to have been reconvened once more. Colonel Drumlin, the commander of SG-3, had arrived with Major Lyman, his second in command. They each took a seat at the conference table opposite from Lieutenant Hailey, who momentarily stood and gave them a crisp salute.

"I have to go, Cassie," Janet said. "But I swear to you, as soon as something happens, or if I hear the slightest bit of information about Sam and the others, I will call you first thing, ok?"

"Sam's in really bad trouble, isn't she, mom?" Cassie moaned. "I can just _feel_ it!"

"Honey, I've told you: until we hear anything from them, we've just got to hope for the best, ok?" Janet inwardly cringed when Hammond glanced her way with a puzzled expression. It looked as if the general was waiting for her to rejoin the meeting. "Cassie, _please_, I have to go, right now! I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"I just wish I could be there…." Cassie said sadly.

Janet felt her heart break when she heard that. She realized that her daughter was in such a distraught state that it probably would be best for the both of them if she were here. The problem was, Cassie was presently with Marie, who was a great sitter--Cassie _loved_ her--but she didn't have the security clearance to bring Cassie to the base. "Look, I'll see what I can work out, ok? I'll call you right back as soon as I can, Cassie."

Janet quickly hung up and walked back over to the conference table. "I'm very sorry, sir," she said to Hammond. "It was Cassie….."

"Say no more, doctor. It's all right," Hammond said, as he got up from the table and led her over to the window. "We're still waiting for Lieutenant Satterfield to rejoin us, anyway. I take it that Cassie's concerned about Sam?"

"She's worried sick," Janet said with a sigh. "Not that I blame her."

"Is she with anybody right now?" Hammond asked.

"Marie, who usually watches her," Janet replied. "I'd ask her to bring Cassie to the base, but Marie doesn't have the clearance."

Hammond nodded. "After we're done here, I'll send somebody to pick up Cassie and bring her here for you. How's that?"

Janet had to restrain herself from hugging the general. "Oh, sir, thank you so much! That would be a huge load off my mind."

Satterfield ran up the steps just then, carrying a book in her hands. Judging from her heavy breathing, it looked as if she had run all the way from Daniel's office downstairs.

"I got…I think…I got it," she muttered, in-between large gulps of air.

"Lieutenant, just sit down and catch your breath," Fraiser ordered, as she took a seat at the table across from her.

"Yes, ma'am," Satterfield replied, as she all but collapsed in her chair.

Hailey leaned over to Satterfield and jokingly whispered, "My, but aren't we the perky one?"

Satterfield just shot her a '_don't-start-with-me!_' look as she opened the book she brought.

Hammond turned to the commander of SG-3 and said, "Gene, Lieutenant Satterfield just went to look up the symbol of the Jaffa forces whom they engaged on P3X-897."

"Oh, Colonel Drumlin," Satterfield said, startled. "My apologies, sir! I didn't see you!"

"At ease, Lieutenant," Drumlin told her, before she could formally stand and salute. "What was the symbol you saw?"

"Two arrows, crossed over a shield, sir," Hailey replied, crossing her arms in front of her in representation of the symbol they saw. "All of the Jaffa troops on P3X-897 bore this mark. It was also on the Goa'uld mothership."

Drumlin exchanged a puzzled look with Lyman. "We ever encounter any Jaffa forces with that symbol, Major?"

"I've memorized all of the Goa'uld symbols, sir," Lyman said, shaking his head. "And we've never met anybody with that symbol. This must be somebody new."

"Here it is," Satterfield said, when she found what she was looking for in the book. "The two arrows over a shield is the personal symbol of Neith."

"Neith?" Hammond asked.

Satterfield nodded, still reading. "Yes sir, she's the Egyptian goddess of the hunt…and warfare."

There was a moment of silence around the conference table. 'Great, another power-mad Goa'uld,' Janet thought derisively. 'Just what we need!'

"Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield, are you _sure_ this was the symbol that you saw?" Hammond asked them, point blank.

"Yes, sir," Satterfield replied.

"Absolutely sure, sir," Hailey responded.

"Then it's official: we're up against somebody new," Hammond said. He glanced at Drumlin and added, "Looks like we're going to need your Marines, Gene."

"You've got them, sir," the colonel confidently replied. "Bobby, call all the reserve SG-3 team members back from R&R right now."

"Yes, sir," Major Lyman said, as he got up from the table with a nod.

When Janet heard someone ascending the steps, she was surprised to see Major Paul Davis briskly walk into the conference room. The Pentagon liaison was still dressed in his outer coat and hat, looking as if he had just stepped in from outside.

Davis snapped off a salute to Hammond. "General, my apologies for intruding on you like this, but we've got a problem. A big one."

"If you're referring to the situation we have with SG-1 on P3X-897, then we're already dealing with it, Major," Hammond said. "Just pull up a chair, and join the conversation."

"I'm sorry sir," Davis said. "But I'm referring to the _other_ big problem."

"What do you mean?" Hammond asked, frowning. "What other problem is there?"

"A series of mass disappearances, sir," Davis said solemnly. "The Pentagon has just learned that people from all walks of life have been taken from their homes in the middle of the night."

Hammond exchanged a stunned look with Janet. Hammond glanced back at Davis and asked, "Where has this been occurring?"

"Reports have been coming in from all over, sir," Davis said.

Janet leaned forward. "All over the country?"

"All over the world, doctor," Davis said. "And all of the cases share a bizarre similarity: the missing have all vanished from homes that had been locked from within."

Hailey stared at Hammond, her eyes wide. "Sir, that sounds like the work of a Goa'uld ring transporter!"

"Wait," Janet said, shaking her head. "I thought the Asgard treaty protected us from something like this."

"We're facing an aggressive new Goa'uld force on P3X-897, and now the snake heads are mucking around in our back yard," Drumlin said with disgust. "It looks like the system lords have finally decided to ignore the treaty and make a major move against us."

"But, sir," Hailey said, looking shocked, "this now means that an all-out war between the Asgard and the system lords is imminent."

"Before we make any calls to the Asgard, I want to hear the whole story," Hammond calmly told everyone. "Major Davis, if you would, please start from the beginning, and tell us everything you know."

As Davis placed his briefcase on the table in preparation for his detailed report, a still-stunned Janet slowly sat back in her chair. She couldn't shake the horrid feeling that something very dark and ominous had just been set into motion. The sense of dread that Janet had was so palpable that she felt a chill run up her back.

'Now I'm really glad that Cassie will be staying at the base with me!' she anxiously thought.

**_SG-1: SVU_**

Teal'c let out a roar of pain as his eyes and mouth glowed unnaturally bright from the energy that shot through his body. O'Neill watched helplessly as the Jaffa who stood behind Teal'c stuck him once more with a rod-like device that looked and acted like a cattle prod--and Teal'c, who had spent the last hour suffering this torture at the hands of Mo'at and his Jaffa, let out another agonizing yell. Teal'c's wrists were shackled above him to the ceiling. He stood in the center of a platform that had jail cells surrounding it. O'Neill and Daniel were in one of the cells, helplessly watching their SG-1 teammate and friend suffer.

Mo'at laughed uproariously at Teal'c, who glowered at him through hooded eyes. "You are not so fierce now, are you, shol'va?" Mo'at sneered.

"Hey, Moby, or whatever the hell your name is," O'Neill called through the bars of his cell. "You want to see just how fierce Teal'c is? Unshackle him!"

Mo'at turned and glared at O'Neill.

"You think _you're_ so tough, Moby?" O'Neill yelled at him. "Then let's see you try taking Teal'c on, man to man!"

Mo'at, who still stared at O'Neill, gestured to the Jaffa behind Teal'c, who stuck him with the cattle prod once more. But this time, he held it in place against Teal'c's back as he released another agonizing yell of pain.

"Jack, stop it!" Daniel said, agitated.

"Stop what?!" O'Neill shouted back. "I'm not the one doing anything!"

"Every time you antagonize Mo'at, he takes it out on Teal'c," Daniel said. "You're just making it worse for him!"

"Do not be concerned for me, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, his voice sounding hoarse. "Instead, you should be concerned for Mo'at. For if I ever get out of these chains, then he shall be the one who will suffer dearly."

"For someone in your position, that is brave talk, shol'va. Perhaps you are trying to make me kill you?" Mo'at shook his head slowly. "Do not think you can escape justice that easily. All Jaffa, even a shol'va like you, must know their proper place, and that is as a servant of Her Lord Empress Neith."

"Neith is not a god!" Teal'c stubbornly insisted.

Mo'at and the other Jaffa burst out laughing at that. "We never said she was," Mo'at told him. "Yet Her Lord Empress Neith _is _the rightful ruler of all the heavens, shol'va. And once you have come to accept this fact--once you have sworn your loyalty to your Lord Empress--we may yet let you live to serve her."

"Never," Teal'c spat. "She may not call herself a god, but Neith is still a blood-thirsty tyrant, and that makes her my enemy."

Mo'at was about to make the gesture for Teal'c to be tortured once more, until he was interrupted by the arrival of another Jaffa, who bowed towards him. "First Prime Mo'at," he said respectfully. "Her Lord Empress Neith requires your presence, now."

Mo'at took the cattle prod from the Jaffa who stood behind Teal'c and stared thoughtfully at it. "Perhaps we should take a rest period," he said. "And give the shol'va some time to reconsider his vast mistake."

Mo'at stepped down from the platform and, as he walked past the cell within which O'Neill and Daniel were imprisoned, abruptly stuck the cattle prod against the bars.

O'Neill and Daniel, who had been leaning up against the bars, both jumped back before they could be shocked by the crackling energy that surged through the metal.

Mo'at removed the cattle prod from the bars and smiled at O'Neill. "Since you enjoy speaking so much, Tauri, perhaps we shall start a new torture session with _you_ once I return."

As Mo'at strode off, Daniel muttered, "You know, I _really_ hate that guy."

O'Neill leaned up against the bars once more and stared with concern at Teal'c, who now hung limply from his shackles. The other Jaffa had left with Mo'at.

"Teal'c," O'Neill called. "Teal'c, buddy, how are you holding up?"

"I am fine, O'Neill," Teal'c firmly replied. "I have withstood torture before. Do not concern yourself with me."

"Just hold on," O'Neill told him. "We're working on an escape plan."

"Uh, we are?" Daniel asked, looking surprised.

"Yes, we are," O'Neill replied resolutely. "And let's start by figuring out our enemy. What's up with Neith, anyway? You think she was bluffing about having a special weapon against the Asgard?"

"Who knows?" Daniel said. "We know for a fact that she's certainly not afraid of dealing with the Asgard. She may very well have come across alien technology, or even invented a weapon to use against them."

"And this stuff about her not caring if people worship her," O'Neill said. "What's with that? I thought all Goa'uld thought of themselves as being gods."

"Bear in mind that Neith was banished from this part of the galaxy by Ra, O'Neill," Teal'c added. "In the legends, before she was exiled, she was considered to be an equal to Ra."

Daniel nodded. "Yes, Neith was a peer of Ra--they were both in the same league, so to speak. And she obviously has a far different method of ruling than Ra, who was a major influence on the other system lords. I mean, who's to say what the Goa'uld would have been like had Neith won the epic war with Ra and remained here in his place?"

"So you're saying that Neith is an 'old school Goa'uld'?"

"Um, no, Jack, that wouldn't exactly be my--"

"Hey, Teal'c," O'Neill called, "I guess that means you're a 'new school' Jaffa, huh?"

Teal'c raised his head and gazed with concern at O'Neill. "I am afraid you are mistaken, O'Neill. I did not go to school to be a Jaffa. Master Bra'tac instructed me."

O'Neill quickly nodded as he waved a hand. "Yeah, right! Sorry buddy."

"How is any of this helping to formulate an escape plan?" Daniel asked.

"It's not," O'Neill replied, as he thoughtfully gazed over the layout. "But I _am_ getting an idea. Teal'c, you think you might be up to helping us out, here?"

When Teal'c raised his head again, he had a slight smile. "Indeed."

**_SG-1: SVU_**

'Where the hell does this lead to?' Olivia wondered, as she and Sam came to an intersection of corridors within the vast mothership. A glance at Sam told Olivia that the Air Force Major was just as lost as she was.

"This is all wrong," Sam muttered, as she looked about her in frustration. "This mothership doesn't match the schematics of the others that I've studied."

"You've had a chance to study the inside of a ship like this?" Olivia said, impressed.

"Yeah, we've even captured a mothership, once," Sam casually replied. "It came in pretty handy for when we blew up that sun."

Olivia grabbed Sam's arm. "Wait, you blew up a sun? Are you frigging kidding me?!"

"I'll tell you later, Liv," Sam started to say, "it's a--"

"It's a long story, yeah," Olivia finished for her. "You know, I really can't wait for when have that little chat over lunch, Sam."

"I'm looking forward to it, as well," Sam replied with a smile.

Her smile vanished when they heard multiple boot steps coming down the hallway ahead of them. "Take cover," Sam whispered, "down here…."

Olivia and Sam ran down one of the corridors in the intersection and both ducked into the first open doorway they found. Sam did a quick check of the room they were hiding in, with her zat at the ready--and when they were satisfied there was nobody else in it but them, Sam and Olivia turned their attention back to the boot steps, which grew louder in volume.

Both women peeked around the doorway as far as they dared, and Olivia felt her stomach tighten into knots at the army of Jaffa warriors who marched by down the hall. She was further startled to see two of them had been left behind to guard the corridor intersection.

Sam gestured for them to move further into the room, which had several rows of stasis chambers, similar to what Olivia had been placed in at the very start of this nightmare. The coffin-like chambers were all empty--yet their very presence greatly disturbed Olivia, who was reminded of the unpleasant memories of having woken up in one of them.

When they were far enough from the doorway, Sam whispered, "Looks like Neith is moving her troops back aboard the mothership."

"And we can't go back out that way," Olivia said, "or else we'll be spotted by those guards they posted."

After Sam checked the back wall, she let out a sigh and said, "There's no other way out of this room." She gazed at the rows of chambers in the room with renewed interest. "Awful lot of empty stasis chambers here. The base on the planet was filled with these, and now there's more on the ship…."

After a moment of thought, Sam nodded. "Yeah, of course, _that's_ how she's doing it…"

"Doing what?"

"We were wondering how Neith could have so many troops aboard this mothership--far more than the usual complement," Sam told Olivia. She gestured at the chambers. "Here's the answer. She puts them in stasis until they're needed."

"A freeze-dried army," Olivia muttered, feeling a chill. "Just add water. The more I learn about these Goa'uld, the less I like them."

"Everything about Neith is so unlike the normal pattern of behavior that we're used to seeing from the Goa'uld system lords," Sam said. "Completely different tactics; different layout of her ship; even how she transports her troops, and she's not even afraid of the Asgard. It's almost like dealing with a completely new culture. The thing about Neith is that she's not adverse to adapting to suit her needs, Liv, and that makes her pretty scary."

"Oh, I agree, Neith's one scary bitch," Olivia quickly said. "Just seeing her collection of heads on that wall convinced me."

The corridor outside their room echoed with the roar of a Jaffa command having been issued, and Olivia shuddered as she heard more oncoming boot steps. Her eyes grew wide as a realization occurred to her. "Hey, if Neith is moving her troops back aboard the ship," she said, gesturing at the chambers, "then might they be heading back to bed?"

Sam nodded grimly. "Yeah, we can't stay here much longer in any case. But we also can't step outside the corridor without those guys seeing us."

"Not unless I create a diversion," Olivia said.

"How?"

"I walk right out past the guards, and hopefully they'll be so distracted by me that you can shoot them," Olivia replied. "Unless you got a better idea?"

"No," Sam muttered, looking concerned. "But are you sure you can do that, Liv?"

"Just watch me," Olivia said confidently. Then she glanced at Sam anxiously. "But one of those guys has a staff weapon…if he should shoot me with that thing…."

Sam placed a hand on Olivia's shoulder. "I won't give him the chance, Liv. You told me before that you got my back, remember? Well, I have yours, too. I've got your six. Ok?"

"Ok," Olivia said, taking a deep breath. "Then let's do this before the hallways get too crowded. Ready?"

Sam nodded.

Olivia took that to be her cue to get going. She strode into the corridor with the confidant air of a woman who owned it. The Jaffa stood facing each other in the intersection, and Olivia kept walking at a rapid pace even after one of them had noticed her.

"Hol!" one of the Jaffa shouted, as he reached for his zat.

Despite the fear she felt, Olivia kept walking. She realized that she had to get both Jaffa turned away from Sam's direction, so that she could effectively sneak up on them.

"Kree, tal shal mak!" the other Jaffa roared.

When Olivia finally turned to face the Jaffa, she was pleased to see they both stood with their backs facing in Sam's direction. "Oh, hi!" Olivia said, in her best ditzy accent. "Are youse the tour guides here? If so, ya know where the ladies room is? I gotta powder my nose…."

The Jaffa with the staff weapon glanced at his partner, as if unsure what to make of Olivia's bizarre behavior. He didn't wonder for very long, for Sam zatted him from behind just then. Sam quickly zatted the other Jaffa before he could completely turn around to face this new threat. Soon, both Jaffa lay on the floor.

"Smooth, Liv," Sam said, grinning in admiration, "real smooth."

"All those years of working undercover finally paid off," Olivia replied, relieved that it was over. "But who knew I'd be using these skills to help save the planet one day?"

"Welcome to my life," Sam said, as she grabbed the zat from the downed Jaffa and handed it to Olivia. "For you."

"Thanks," Olivia said, admiring the zat. It wasn't a Glock, but it would do. "At least we're better armed this time. So, where to?"

As she hefted the staff weapon over her shoulder, Sam glanced down the hallway behind them when they heard the sounds of approaching boot steps.

"That way," Sam answered, as she pointed in the direction opposite of the oncoming Jaffa. "Right now, we go wherever they're not."

"Can't complain with that tactic," Olivia muttered, as she and Sam ran down the hallway.

**_SG1-SVU_**

Mo'at found Neith in the peltac, the command center of the mothership, seated in her throne, which was located on a raised platform in the center of the room. Her Lord Empress sat very casually in the throne, with one leg hooked over the chair's arm, a bare foot lightly bouncing up and down in mid-air, as she gazed reflectively at the floor. She wore a simple white dress with gold trimming.

Mo'at glanced outside and saw several vast columns of Jaffa all streaming towards the mothership. He approached Neith and bowed down before her, crossing his arms in front of him. "You summoned me, my Lord Empress?"

Neith took notice of him for the first time. "I want shield generators set up around the stargate, Mo'at. I want them disguised--camouflaged, is the Tauri word--so that they may not be seen by anyone who emerges from the gate. I want the entire stargate to be surrounded by shields."

"Yes, my Lord Empress," Mo'at said.

"I also want staff cannon emplacements all along the ridges surrounding the stargate," Neith further ordered.

Mo'at nodded. It was a typically brilliant example of Her Lord Empress' strategic mind: the shields would box in an opponent who emerged from the gate, while the staff cannons would mercilessly pick them off from their high vantage points. Yet a question pestered Mo'at's mind. "If I may ask, whom are you expecting to come through the gate?"

"The Tauri, of course, my dear Mo'at," Neith replied.

Mo'at glanced up at her with concern. "But, my Lord Empress, they are dead; their command base destroyed, from the missile you fired into the stargate."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Neith arose from the chair and wagged a finger at him. "You should know by now to never underestimate your enemy, Mo'at. I know for a fact that the Stargate Command has their own protective shield on their stargate."

Mo'at bowed before her once more. "Yes, of course. Forgive me, my Lord Empress. Your orders shall be carried out instantly."

"One further matter, Mo'at. Give the order to the commando teams on earth to move," Neith told him, breaking into a smile. "Our early encounter with the Tauri stargate teams has pushed my plans ahead of schedule. I wish to press the advantage of surprise while I still have them off guard."

Mo'at nodded. "As you command, my Lord Empress."

"Rejoice, Mo'at," Neith said, as she joyfully raised her arms in the air. "For the glorious chaos of war shall soon fall upon our enemies. And when the dust has settled, the Netian Empire has to but sweep them aside, and we shall reclaim our rightful place as rulers of this galaxy!"

Mo'at gazed upon his beloved Lord Empress with a mixture of pride and love. 'The shol'va, Teal'c, was wrong,' he thought. 'Neith is indeed a goddess of the highest order. And once we bring the Tauri to their knees, I shall see to it personally that they worship her as such!'

**_SG-1: SVU_**

"Teal'c!" Daniel desperately called to the figure who hung limply from his chains. "Teal'c! Can you hear me?!"

When Teal'c did not respond, instead just hanging there with his head down, O'Neill angrily shouted, "You sons of bitches, you killed him!"

A bare-headed Jaffa guard entered, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Yeah, you!" O'Neill shouted, pointing his finger at him. "You just killed our friend, you rat-bastard!"

The guard, still looking confused, went over to Teal'c. He prodded the prone prisoner with the end of his staff weapon, and when Teal'c did not move, the Jaffa came closer, and tried to peer into his face.

That was when Teal'c abruptly gripped the chains with his hands, pulled his legs up in front of the Jaffa, and kicked him as hard as he could. The Jaffa, thrown off balance, fell off the platform and crashed right into the bars of the cell that O'Neill and Daniel were imprisoned in.

"Grab him!" O'Neill shouted, as he reached out with his hands between the bars. "Bring him towards us!"

The Jaffa, momentarily stunned, tried to fight back as Daniel pulled him up against the bars. As he tried frantically to hold the struggling Jaffa, Daniel said, "He's still awake, Jack!"

"Not for long," O'Neill muttered, as removed the Jaffa's zat from his belt. "Let go of him, Daniel!"

When Daniel did so, O'Neill shot the Jaffa point blank with the zat. The Jaffa shuddered for a second, then collapsed to the floor.

"Got 'im," O'Neill said, as he reached through the bars to pull the unconscious Jaffa towards them.

"Oh, I really hope this guy has the keys to the cell," Daniel fretted.

"He does, Daniel," O'Neill replied, waving the keys that he removed from the Jaffa's belt. "See? Stop being so pessimistic!"

O'Neill used the keys to open the cell, and then he and Daniel ran up onto the platform and freed Teal'c from his chains. "Here," O'Neill said, as he handed Teal'c the staff weapon they took from the Jaffa. "I'd thought you might want this, buddy."

Teal'c accepted the staff weapon with a nod of his head. "It is much appreciated, O'Neill."

Just then, several more Jaffa warriors shouted as they stormed into the prison area, their staff weapons blazing.

"Never a dull moment in this place," O'Neill grimly muttered, as he and Teal'c quickly returned fire.

"Can I be pessimistic now?!" Daniel sarcastically asked O'Neill as they ducked the incoming fire from the Jaffa.

**_SG-1: SVU_**

"Oh, great," Sam muttered, when they arrived at another junction, "just what we need: more corridors…."

"Wandering around this place makes me feel like I'm lost in the Luxor hotel," Olivia said. "You ever been there? It's in Vegas."

Sam blanched visibly. "No, never. Believe me, Liv, the last place I want to spend my R&R is at a casino that looks like a Goa'uld mothership…."

Olivia burst into giggles, which she kept quiet by slapping her hands over her mouth. "Uh, yeah," Olivia said, when she regained control of herself. "I see your point, Sam. Sorry."

"Don't get me wrong; I've got nothing against Egyptian culture," Sam pointed out. "It's just--"

She quieted down when they heard the ever-present sound of marching boots once more, coming from one of the corridors at the junction.

"Let's double back," Sam whispered.

They ran the distance all the way down the corridor, only to come to a halt when they saw a group of Jaffa before them. Sam shot two of them down with her zat before they could even react.

"Back, back, back…." Olivia urgently said, as she and Sam started running in the opposite direction.

They were halfway down the corridor when Sam grabbed Olivia's arm and said, "Wait, listen. They're coming down this way, too."

"Then where do we go?" Olivia asked in a panic. "They're in front of us and in back of us!"

"Through here," Sam said, pointing out a doorway to their right.

They entered a small room, that had a multitude of shelves on the walls with folded garments on them. A woman, clad in scant clothing, entered from another doorway, folding what appeared to be a towel in her hands. She took one look at Olivia and Sam and let out a startled scream at the top of her lungs.

Olivia shot her with the zat, which instantly quieted the woman--yet she knew the Jaffa in the corridor outside must have heard the screaming.

"Through there?" Olivia said, pointing at the doorway through which the woman had emerged.

"Like we have a choice?" Sam asked.

Yet once they both entered the vast room on the other side of the doorway, both Olivia and Sam abruptly halted at the sight before them.

The air was as warm and humid as a steam bath, and there were various massage tables set up surrounding a massive pool, where a large group of Jaffa, who had either been swimming, or getting a massage, abruptly stopped what they were doing to glare at the two women who had entered their private domain.

"We wandered into a Jaffa health spa," Olivia said in disbelief. "Just our frigging luck…."

The Jaffa who had pursued them in the corridors appeared behind Olivia and Sam, making the women effectively surrounded on all sides. One of the Jaffa, raising his staff weapon at them, shouted: "Kree! Hol!"

"Yeah, yeah," Olivia muttered in disgust. She and Sam dropped their zat guns drop onto the floor. "You know, Sam, if I survive this, I'm never going to the Luxor either…."

Sam just wistfully nodded at her as she and Olivia reluctantly raised their hands in surrender.

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

_I'd like to thank Barbarossa Rotbart, Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl and Mia66 for their kind words. As Jack O'Neill might say, "Thanks, kids!" __Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter. _

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Six**

"Naughty," Neith said, with just the slightest hint of a smile. "Very naughty…."

Olivia and Sam knelt helplessly on the floor before the Goa'uld, with each woman having had her hands tightly bound behind her back. Several armed Jaffa stood guard all around them. Neith sauntered back and forth in front of the prisoners--with her flowing hair, bare feet, and simple white dress giving her the odd appearance of a vacationing aristocrat who had just returned from a stroll on the beach.

"Although I am most displeased with your behavior, I must say that I can not help but admire your nerve," Neith sincerely told Olivia and Sam. "You both are truly very brave warriors, and are a credit to your people."

The three Jaffa whom Sam and Olivia had previously overpowered stood off to the side. They were all unarmed, sans their helmets, with their heads hung in shame.

"If I am angry with anyone, it's you," Neith said to the disgraced trio of Jaffa, regarding them with an infuriated expression. "You three allowed yourselves to be overpowered by these Tauri women--and as a result, they ran rampant on _my_ ship. What have you to say for yourselves?"

One of the discredited Jaffa took a step forward and humbly said, "Forgive me, my Lord Empress."

Olivia watched as Neith held up her right hand, which was covered by a weird looking glove that had golden tips on the fingers, with wires that ran down to a red, ruby-like centerpiece in the palm. The centerpiece, which Neith aimed at the Jaffa who spoke, glowed brilliantly as a beam of light shot out of it and struck the man.

The force of the blast that emitted from Neith's palm slammed the Jaffa against the wall. Olivia was horrified to see that his head had instantly been crushed in, and his eyes had been burnt to cinders within their sockets.

"I forgive you," Neith gently said to his corpse. She glanced at the remaining two Jaffa, who stared back at her in wide-eyed terror. "As for you, take a good look at your comrade. If you should ever make a mistake like this again, I promise that your punishment shall be far worse than his. Resume your duties."

Both men gratefully bowed before her with their hands crossed in front of them. "Yes, my Lord Empress Neith," they both said in unison, before they practically ran out of the throne room.

Neith turned her attention back to the captured Olivia and Sam--yet before she could say anything, Mo'at quickly strode into the throne room. He stopped short and bowed. "Pardon the intrusion, my Lord Empress…."

"Have you carried out my orders?" Neith asked him.

Mo'at nodded. "Yes, my Lord Empress. The shield generators and staff cannons have been arranged around the stargate, as you ordered."

"And what of our commandos on earth?" Neith inquired. "Have they been given the order to move?"

Sam and Olivia exchanged an alarmed look when they heard this.

"They have, my Lord Empress," Mo'at confirmed. "And they are moving into position as we speak. However…."

When he hesitated, Neith glared at him with annoyance. "You are disturbing my pleasure, Mo'at. Either speak your mind, or leave!"

Mo'at humbly bowed. "Forgive me, my Lord Empress. But O'Neill, Jackson and the shol'va, Teal'c, have all escaped. They've overpowered a guard and have blasted their way out of the prison level."

Now Olivia and Sam traded furtive, hopeful smiles at each other.

For a spilt second, Olivia thought Neith was going to blast Mo'at with her weird glove--which was something she would have liked to have seen happen to the big lug. But Neith instead stared thoughtfully at the floor.

"It would appear that SG-1's reputation as being a formidable opponent is well-deserved," she admitted, with a narrow-eyed glance at Sam. "Even captured, they are as unruly as a bag of writhing vipers."

"Rest assured, my Lord Empress, that I shall lead the hunt for them personally," Mo'at said.

"No, I will," she corrected him. "After I have taken care of some matters here. Assemble the hunting party, and wait for me in the great hall, Mo'at."

Mo'at bowed, then briskly left the room.

Neith made a lifting gesture with her hand, and the Jaffa raised the tied women to their feet. The Jaffa held Olivia and Sam in place as Neith came over and examined each woman closely, as if they were no more than common cattle for sale at market.

After making a face, Neith waved her hand derisively at Sam. "This one has been contaminated by the Tok'ra," she said. "Take her to Nacre. Tell the Royal Physician that he can examine her in detail if he so chooses. He can even feel free to vivisect her, if he wishes."

As the Jaffa dragged Sam away, Olivia called, "No matter what, I'm _still _holding you to that lunch date, Sam! So you'd better not disappoint me!"

Despite her dire situation, Sam let out a feeble laugh as she stared longingly at Olivia over her shoulder. "I didn't think you would let me off the hook this easily, Liv!"

'Oh God, I have a lot of nerve,' Olivia thought with dread, as Neith came in close to stare at her. 'Here I am trying to give hope to Sam, when my own circumstances aren't much better than hers….'

"I have no need for a new body just yet," Neith said, as she reached under Olivia's chin and gently raised her head. "Yet I find that it is always best to be prepared."

"Well, aren't you just the little frigging girl scout," Olivia derisively muttered, as she shook her head free from Neith's grasp.

Neith made a gesture to the Jaffa who held Olivia in their grip. "Take her away and prepare her properly, for I wish to see what my new body looks like."

Olivia's eyes grew large with alarm as the Jaffa roughly dragged her out of the throne room. "Prepare me?! Wait! What the hell does _that_ mean?!"

**SG-1: SVU**

The Alkesh hung low in orbit over earth, undetected by the Tauri radar and other sensors, thanks to the cloaking shield that hid it from view. It had patiently maintained this position for several days, now, waiting for the order to come from Her Lord Empress Neith.

When the message finally did arrive, from no less than First Prime Mo'at himself, the well-trained Alkesh crew flung into action. Originally designed as a mid-range bomber, this particular Alkesh had been modified especially for this mission. When the commander gave the signal, massive twin doors on the bottom of the ship spread open, and a smaller teltac ship, a cargo vessel, dropped out from the Alkesh.

The teltac ship was remote-piloted from the bridge of the Alkesh to fly into the atmosphere below them, straight into NORAD airspace.

As he watched the tactical screens, the Alkesh commander smiled when he saw twin fighters--a pair of F-22 Raptors--were scrambled from the ground to challenge the teltac in mid-air.

The Jaffa who remote-piloted the teltac glanced at his commander, waiting for the order.

The commander nodded at him, giving the signal.

The Jaffa pressed a button on his control panel, and several hundred miles below them, one of the engines on the teltac ship deliberately blew up, disabling the vessel and causing it to spiral to the ground. It crashed in a deserted field in Colorado, just a few miles away from Stargate Command--right where Her Lord Empress Neith had wanted.

The Jaffa aboard the Alkesh watched their tactical screens with pleasure as the F-22s circled the crash site, calling in the location back to their base.

"Her Lord Empress Neith's will has been carried out," the Alkesh commander said, as he gestured to the Jaffa who stood at the helm. "Take us out of orbit, sub-light engines only. And maintain the cloak."

'And so it has begun,' the commander smugly thought, as he sat back in his chair. 'The battle to end all battles, the war to reclaim the galaxy for the Netian Empire, has finally been unleashed. And it shall be glorious!'

**SG-1: SVU**

'This sucks,' Olivia thought dismally.

She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor with frustration. After having been put through the humiliating experience of being completely stripped and then washed as though she were an animal, Olivia was forced to put on the scant outfit she now wore: a pair of plain green pants with a skimpy top that exposed her midriff.

She was alone in the small circular room; no guards had been posted to watch over her because there was no way she could escape. The doors blended into the walls when they closed, and there were no way--at least none that Olivia could see--of opening them. She had even tried standing in front of where the door was, thinking it might open like a supermarket door did when the sensor detected a presence in front of it. But that idea didn't work, either.

Olivia hated this; she hated feeling helpless and vulnerable. Olivia had spent the better part of her life battling people who took advantage of others; she'd helped many victims to become empowered by fighting back anyway and anyhow they could. And here she had been reduced to being nothing more than an object to be played with by this crazed Neith bitch.

'Yeah, well, we'll see about that,' Olivia firmly thought. 'I might wind up getting myself killed, but I'd rather die fighting back than be--'

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door slid open, revealing a woman, a slave from the looks of her, who entered the room with a bowl of food and a cup of water on a tray. Clad in a similarly scant outfit like what Olivia now wore, she was escorted by two burly Jaffa guards, who both warily watched Olivia with their zats at the ready.

'They're not taking any chances this time,' Olivia realized, as she glared back at the Jaffa.

The woman placed the tray on the floor before Olivia and said, "Eat. Her Lord Empress Neith desires for you to keep up your strength."

"Yeah?" Olivia angrily said. "Well, you can tell Her Lord Empress Neith that she can go--"

Olivia abruptly stopped when the woman glanced up at her. There was something oddly very familiar about her face. She was a beautiful woman in her thirties, maybe forties, with long black hair and a tattoo of Neith's symbol--two arrows crossed over a shield--on her forehead.

Then Olivia realized what it was: the woman looked just like a more mature version of Luanda. Other than being older, she was a spitting image of the kid.

The slave got to her feet and turned to walk out of the room, until Olivia said, "Excuse me? Do you know a girl named Luanda?"

The slave stopped dead in her tracks and spun around to face Olivia with an astonished look on her face.

"You're Luanda's mother, aren't you?" Olivia said with a smile. "You look just like her. Your daughter's here, aboard this ship. She misses you dearly."

The slave took a step towards Olivia, until one of the Jaffa roughly grabbed her arm and gestured to the door. Still staring back at Olivia, the slave reluctantly turned and left the room with them. The door slid shut.

'Whoa,' Olivia thought, herself stunned by this encounter. It may not come to anything, yet Olivia hoped she had just planted a seed that might sprout into an opportunity in which she could use to help herself later.

Olivia stood up and strode over to the food and water. She had been thinking about throwing it in the face of whomever came through the door next--probably Neith. Olivia smiled at the thought of Neith covered in food and water. It might be the last thing Olivia ever did before Neith used that weird glove on her, but it would be so worth it.

Olivia was startled when the door abruptly slid open again. Luanda's mother re-entered, this time by herself. The door remained open.

"That was quick," Olivia muttered. "Did you understand what I--hey!"

The woman shoved Olivia up against the wall and pressed a blade to her throat. "Tell me where my daughter is," she demanded, "or I swear, I shall tear your eyes out!"

Despite the fact that she had a knife to her neck, Olivia broke into a broad smile. "Oh, yeah," she said with a laugh, "you're Luanda's mom, all right!"

Still smiling, Olivia abruptly brought her knee up and smashed it into the woman's abdomen, and her assailant fell backwards, dropping the knife. Olivia, advancing towards her, picked up the knife and straddled the woman, who now lay flat on her back on the floor.

Now Olivia pressed the blade up to the neck of Luanda's mother and said, "You want to know where your daughter is? Fine. Tell me where I can find somebody called Nacre, the Royal Physician, first."

The woman stared at Olivia as if she were crazy. "Why would you wish to see him? Next to the Lord Empress, he is the devil incarnate!"

"Nacre has a friend of mine being held captive in his lab," Olivia said. "She's a woman, about my age--"

"The golden-haired woman?"

Olivia nodded. "Right. The golden-haired woman. Her name is Sam. You've seen her?"

She nodded. "I was just there. Nacre was just about to experiment on her."

"Look, what's your name?"

"Liandra," she replied.

Olivia eased off with the knife. "Tell me where Sam is, Liandra, and once we free her, we'll both help you find Luanda. Deal?"

Liandra frowned up in puzzlement at her. "Deal?"

"Um, in other words, do you understand me?" Olivia said, as she helped the woman to her feet. "Do you agree to help me?"

"Go to the end of this corridor, this way," Liandra told her, pointing out the direction. "Keep going until you come to the end of the corridor, then turn left. The Royal Physician's lab is at the very end. Now please tell me where Luanda is."

"Neith said something about putting her in the slave quarters, but--"

"I know where that is," Liandra said with a nod. "I wish you luck in finding Sam. Keep the knife. I can get another."

"Wait," Olivia called. Yet Liandra was already out the door and long gone down the corridor before Olivia could call her again. Standing in the doorway, Olivia stared after Liandra, who went in the opposite direction in which Nacre had Sam.

"Damn it," Olivia muttered. "Looks like I'm a one-woman rescue party."

Gripping the knife firmly in her hand, Olivia ran down the corridor, hugging the wall as closely as she could. When she reached the end, just like Liandra had said, Olivia worked up the nerve to peer around the corner. What she saw sent shivers up her spine.

The corridor led to some sort of lab, all right. Olivia could see it through the open doorway. Yet there was a cadre of Jaffa posted outside the lab, all fully armed with staff weapons.

Olivia slinked back behind the corner. 'Oh Christ!' she thought. 'What am I gonna do?!'

When she caught a glance at the scant outfit that she now wore, Olivia abruptly got an idea. She didn't know if it was going to work, and it might very well be suicidal, but what did she have to lose at this point?

She ran back to her cell. There were props left there that may come in handy if Olivia was going to pull off this crazy idea.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Damn it," General Hammond muttered, as he gazed at the bodies on the operating tables.

Janet Fraiser glanced up at the general with surprise, for there had been regret in the tone of his voice when he said that. Then Janet gazed once more at the bodies of the two Jaffa warriors and suddenly she realized what he had meant.

The bodies had been taken from the teltac ship, which crashed--thanks to a faulty engine--not far from here. One of the dead Jaffa bore the symbol of Ba'al on his forehead, while the other had the mark of Lord Yu. Ba'al and Yu were two Goa'uld system lords who were normally mortal enemies, so the fact that two of their men were flying together over earth in a ship was not a good sign.

'Nope, this isn't good at all,' Janet thought grimly. 'It's looking more and more like the system lords have decided to finally work together--against us.'

The downed teltac ship was also discovered to have been carrying several dozen stasis chambers, such as the kind used to safely house a person in suspended animation. The chambers were all empty, but the basic theory was that the ship had accidentally crashed before its crew could abduct anymore people from earth.

That was why Janet understood the general's frustration, because the way things looked now, he had no choice but to make a call to the Asgard. And that call could very well ignite a full-scale interstellar war.

But there was something about all of this that still bothered Janet. 'What would the Goa'uld have to gain by abducting people from earth in the first place?' she wondered. 'Especially when they have their pick of humans all across the galaxy--humans who weren't protected by the Asgard--why would they even risk coming to earth?'

"Well, I guess I'd better let you get to work on the autopsy, doctor," Hammond solemnly said. "I've got a call to make."

"To the Asgard, sir?" Janet asked.

Hammond just nodded grimly. "I've been holding off on making it, hoping that this situation wouldn't turn out to be the nightmare that I'd been dreading." He gestured at the bodies. "But we've now got proof that at least Ba'al and Lord Yu are working together to abduct humans from earth. That's a clear violation of the treaty right there. Excuse me, doctor."

Janet nodded. Regardless of how dire the situation was, she had her own work to do. She informed Nurse Hightower to get the surgical bay ready for an autopsy on the Jaffa and then headed to the medical locker room to change into her surgical garb.

Once properly dressed for the autopsy, Janet made a stop at her office to check on Cassie. The girl, who was seated on a sofa, looked up at her with apprehension.

"Did you hear from Sam?" Cassie desperately asked. "Is she ok?"

Janet held up her hands. "No, I haven't heard from Sam. But Sergeant Siler's team is almost done with the repairs on the stargate. Once it's working, we'll see if we can reestablish contact with them."

When she noticed that Cassie had been doodling in her notebook, Janet asked, "Did you finish your homework already?"

There was a brief flash of guilt on the girl's face. "Um, no, mom. But given what's happening, how can I be expected to do it? I mean, we're in the middle of a major crisis right now, and for all we know, school may be canceled for the foreseeable--"

"Oh, yeah…_right!_ Nice try," Janet said, grinning, as she dumped Cassie's school bag into her lap. "Get to work. Now! I have an autopsy to do, and when I get back, I expect you to at least be half done."

As she walked out of her office, Janet stopped short when she thought she heard Cassie mutter something under her breath about Janet being a slave driver.

Janet spun around. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing, mom!" Cassie said in a sing-song tone, as she quickly opened her school text books.

Janet just shook her head, letting out a frustrated moan, as she left her office and entered the lab. She was surprised to find a visitor in the glass observation booth: Major Davis. He waved at her and she returned the gesture. As she began the autopsy, Janet became impressed with the Pentagon liaison; if the sight of a body lying with its torso exposed bothered Davis, he didn't show it.

The autopsy went as smoothly as most did--until Janet noticed something very strange. "Wait a minute, this isn't right," Janet muttered. She glanced at Nurse Hightower and asked, "When were they brought in?"

"Barely an hour ago," Hightower replied.

"And their ship was shot down how long ago?" Janet asked.

When Hightower shrugged her shoulders, Janet heard a clicking sound. She glanced up to see Davis had switched on the microphone. "The teltac ship crashed precisely one hour and forty three minutes ago, Doctor," he informed her. "Is there a problem?"

"There is now," Janet answered, as she walked over to the phone on the wall. She pulled off her gloves and dropped them into the garbage, then she picked up the phone and called for Hammond. "Tell him it's urgent," she added. "I'll hold."

When Hammond came on the line, he asked, "What's wrong, doctor?"

"The autopsy turned up something interesting, General," Janet said. "Something you should know. I understand the teltac ship crashed less than two hours ago?"

"Yes, it did."

"Well, according to the rate of decomposition on the bodies, these Jaffa have both been for several hours, at least," Janet told him. "The Jaffa aboard that ship were dead long before it crashed, sir."

**SG-1: SVU**

"This is quite a historic opportunity for me," the Royal Physician Nacre cheerfully said. "I have heard of the Tok'ra, but this is the first time I shall be able to examine one of your kind up close."

Sam desperately fought against the restraints that held her down to the table once more, but it was to no avail. She lay helplessly prone before the old man, who gleefully prepared the tools he would use to slice her open.

'Should have went fishing with you, Jack,' Sam thought, as she stared sadly up at the ceiling. 'Even if we had just _gone_ fishing, and done nothing else, at least I would have spent some time with you, alone.'

She also thought fondly of Daniel and Teal'c, whom Sam considered to be her surrogate brothers, and hoped that they were all right--along with Olivia. 'Poor Olivia,' Sam mused. 'If the guys manage to stay free, I hope they can help her, as well as the others who're still in those stasis tubes. Not to mention Luanda and her people.'

When Cassie's face appeared in her mind's eye, Sam began to feel a true sense of panic. 'Our regular chess game is coming up this Saturday,' she realized. 'Oh God, I can't die! There are so many people who need me, who depend on me--Cassie and Janet most of all! And there's still so much I have left to do, so much work, so much research….'

When Sam realized that she couldn't give up, not by a long shot, she was filled with renewed vigor. 'Jack, Teal'c and Daniel _are_ free,' she assured herself. 'So I simply have to stay alive for as long as possible until they can rescue me. God knows it's a very slim hope, but it's better than nothing. And I'm taking it.'

Sam glanced over at Nacre, at least as much as the straps which restrained her head and neck would allow, and said, "You realize that I'm technically no longer a Tok'ra, right? My host voluntarily left me."

However, Nacre merely stared at Sam as if she were nothing more than a lab rat. He raised a laser saw with one hand and brushed her blond hair back from her forehead. He was about to slice her head open right then and there. And there was nothing she could do or say to stall him.

'Oh God,' Sam thought, bracing herself for the end. She thought of all of her loved ones--her father; Mark and the kids; Jack, Daniel and Teal'c; Janet and Cassie--and sent them all her love one last time. 'And, Liv, I really wish I had a chance to have gotten to know you a lot better!'

As Nacre held the laser saw over her head, Sam tightly closed her eyes and at least prayed that the end wouldn't be too painful.

"What is this?!" Nacre abruptly said, sounding annoyed. The laser saw was silenced. "I already ate earlier!"

Sam opened her eyes and saw a slave woman had entered the lab. Her back was turned towards Sam as she placed a tray containing a bowl of food and a mug of water on the table beside the Royal Physician. Despite the man's continued protest, the woman calmly removed the bowl and mug from the tray.

'Strange,' Sam thought, as she noticed the slave girl's dark brown hair, 'it's the exact same color and style as Liv's.'

"Did you hear me, you stupid woman?!" Nacre shouted, as the slave girl picked up the tray in her hands. "I told you I have already eaten!"

The slave girl turned around just then--and Sam was stunned to see that it was in fact Olivia who stood there.

"You already ate, huh?" Olivia calmly said, nodding. "Fine. Then maybe it's time for you to take a nap."

With that Olivia bashed Nacre across the face with the tray. Nacre dropped the laser saw as he wobbled on his feet, completely staggered from the blow. "You-you can't do this," he said weakly, "for I am the Royal--"

"You're a royal pain in the ass, _that's_ what you are," Olivia muttered, as she slammed the tray across his face once more. The second blow sent Nacre straight to the floor, where he collapsed in a heap.

"Liv?!" Sam asked with disbelief.

"Are you all right?" Olivia asked with concern, as she began untying Sam from the table. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, he never touched me," Sam replied, as she got up from the table, feeling greatly relieved. She laughed as she gave Olivia a tight hug. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, well, we're not out of the woods, yet," Olivia told her. "There's a large group of Jaffa outside, and we're stuck in here with no weapons. I mean, I doubt I can whack _all _of those guys over the head with this tray."

Yet Sam was still taken aback at the sight of Olivia in the scant outfit. She almost looked like a dark-haired version of Barbra Eden from I Dream Of Genie. "But Liv, how did you…what the _hell_ happened?!"

A broad smile spread across Olivia's feline features as she leaned in close and said, "It's a long story, Sam. I'll tell you later."

"Oh, you were just _waiting_ to say that to me, weren't you?" Sam replied, with a wry shake of her head. "C'mon, let's see if we can find another way out of here past the guards."

**SG-1: SVU**

"You know, all Goa'uld ships should have a map on every level," O'Neill whispered--as he, Teal'c and Daniel paused when they came to another junction in the corridor. "Sort of like how they have it at the mall? With a little 'you are here' arrow pointing out your position? Wouldn't something like that be very helpful right about now?"

Daniel gave him an exasperated look. "Well, Jack, when we see Neith again, I'll be sure to bring it up to her."

O'Neill stared at him, annoyed. "What the hell makes you think we'll be seeing _her_ again?"

"With the way our luck's been running so far, what makes _you_ think we won't?" Daniel shot back.

Teal'c had wandered ahead of them and warily peered into a entranceway that was off to the side. He turned and gestured for O'Neill and Daniel to come closer.

When they did, O'Neill asked, "What you find, T?"

"It appears to be the slave quarters," Teal'c replied. "Did not Neith give the command for Luanda to be taken here?"

When O'Neill peered around the corner, he saw a vast room, looking about the size of a convention hall, that was filled with smaller, stable-sized rooms. The rooms had no doors on them, and from the looks of the poor wretches who languished within, it was clear they were slaves.

"Good move, Teal'c," O'Neill said. "We can use the stables as cover while we look for her. Let's go."

They rapidly entered the slave quarters in a crouch, using the row of stables as cover. The stench was almost unbearable, and several of the slaves, who were chained to the walls, appeared to be dead, or left for dead. Many of the dead lay staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, as if unable to grasp the harsh fate that life had dealt them. Just when O'Neill thought he couldn't hate Neith any more than he already did, the very sight of this place only intensified his hatred for her high and mighty Lord Empress.

O'Neill had a grim thought; a vision of Sam and Olivia both suffering in a stable like these poor souls were--until he pushed it out of his mind. 'Stay focused, Jack,' he told himself. 'Sam can hang tough with the best of them. We'll find her, and Liv. One crisis at a time….'

After they had been searching for a while without luck, Daniel said, "Jack, this place is huge! How are we going to find Luanda if--"

"_I have sworn a blood oath against all of you!_" a girl's angry voice could suddenly be heard above the din of the slave quarters. "_Do your worst to me, for it will only feed my hatred of you! For this I swear: I shall hunt each of you down and pluck your eyeballs out if it takes me the rest of my life!_"

O'Neill just gazed knowingly at Daniel.

Then they both nodded and said, in unison: "We found Luanda…."

Teal'c risked a glance above the stable walls in the direction where they heard Luanda's voice. "O'Neill," he whispered. "This way."

O'Neill and Daniel followed Teal'c down an isle between two rows of stables. O'Neill saw Luanda on an elevated platform, with one ankle shackled to a post in the center. Yet she still defiantly stood her ground before a trio of angry Jaffa.

'You gotta love this kid,' O'Neill thought with a slight smile, as he continued running towards the platform with Teal'c and Daniel. When he saw one of the Jaffa raise what looked like a whip at Luanda, he shouted, "Uh, excuse me, boys?!"

The Jaffa, startled, all turned to stare incredulously at O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c as they ran up to the edge of the platform.

"The little lady's with us," O'Neill cheerfully told the Jaffa, just before he shot two of them down with the zat.

Teal'c took out the third Jaffa by knocking his feet out from under him with the staff weapon. Then, once he hit the floor, Teal'c bashed him in the face with the butt end of his weapon.

"O'NEILL!" Luanda screamed joyfully.

"How you doing, kid?" O'Neill asked, as he got up onto the platform. He got the keys from one of the unconscious Jaffa and freed Luanda's ankle. "You ok? Did they hurt you?"

"No, they--" Luanda stopped short when she saw something right behind O'Neill.

Expecting it to be more Jaffa, O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c quickly swung around, ready for a fight. Yet they were all surprised by what they did encounter.

A woman, clad in slave garb, stood there, staring intently at them. She held a knife in her hand, at the ready to attack. But O'Neill realized that she stared right at Luanda with a mixture of awe and wonder.

"Mommy?" Luanda asked in a small voice.

"Luanda," the woman said, as she dropped the knife and got down on one knee, her arms held out.

As she left the platform, Luanda nearly ran O'Neill over in her zeal to embrace her mother.

"Whoa!" Daniel said, touched, as he watched this elated reunion between mother and daughter.

"What happened, Luanda?" her mother asked. "Where is your father?"

"The Jaffa attacked our hideaway. I-I know not where daddy is," Luanda said sadly. She brightened when she pointed at O'Neill and the others. "But these are our new friends! That's Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c. I don't know where Sam and Olivia are now, but--"

"Wait!" her mother said. "Sam? Is she a woman with golden hair?"

"Yes she is," O'Neill said, taking a step forward. "Have you seen her?"

The woman nodded. "She's a captive of Nacre, the Royal Physican. The other woman--the dark haired one--was going to rescue her."

"Olivia Benson," Teal'c said.

The woman nodded. "Yes. She told me where Luanda was, after I told her where Sam, the golden haired woman, was being held."

"I'd really like to know where this Nacre guy hangs out, too," O'Neill said, as he and Teal'c descended the platform. "You think you could show us?"

"Yes, of course," the woman readily replied. "Were it not for this Olivia Benson, I never would have found my beloved Luanda. But be warned: Nacre's lab is heavily guarded by armed Jaffa."

"We can be a pretty mean bunch, as well," O'Neill told her. Behind him, Teal'c handed Daniel a zat that he took from one of the downed Jaffa. "What's your name?"

"Liandra."

O'Neill gestured. "Show us the way, Liandra."

As they began running--with Liandra leading the way--O'Neill gazed out over the row upon row of stalls, each filled with a miserable soul who suffered needlessly, and it only fueled the rage that built within him. "After we get Sam and Olivia, we're coming back for these folks," he said firmly. "And then we're going after Neith."

"How are we gonna pull that off?" Daniel asked.

"I'm still working on that, Daniel," O'Neill said, his resolve still firm. "But somehow, someway, we're taking this Lord Empress Bitch down!"

**To Be Contiued... **


	7. Chapter 7

_I'd like to express my thanks to Barbarossa Rotbart, mia66, Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl and SVU Chicky for their kind and encouraging words._

_Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter, and I hope you're all having a great Holiday Season._

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Seven**

"Where the hell is he?" Elliot asked, as he gazed suspiciously around the empty grounds of the park fountain.

"He'll show," Munch assured him, sitting casually on a bench. "But bear in mind, Elliot, that I usually meet with this guy alone."

Elliot stopped his anxious pacing back and forth. "You think he'll be too shy to meet with the both of us?"

Munch shrugged. "When I spoke to him on the phone, he appeared reluctant to meet just with _me_, at first. He sounded like he had a lot on his mind."

"Doesn't everybody these days?" Elliot muttered, as he resumed pacing. The heightened panic caused by the mass disappearances had by now reached a world-wide furor. It was the only news story that was being discussed on TV and the internet.

At first, Elliot ignored all the hoopla and maintained his own investigation into the disappearance of Olivia and Casey, determined to uncover a plot launched by a perp with a grudge who might had abducted them for reasons of revenge. But his leads--what little there were--kept turning into dead ends. He finally had to admit that Olivia and Casey may well have been a part of The Disappeared, as the damned media had now started to refer to them; people from all over the world who have been abducted from their locked homes, and who have all seemingly vanished without a trace.

Yet before Elliot could despair, Munch had suggested calling his spy friend, just to see if they could pick up any leads on that end. Elliot thought this was a long shot, at best. But since he was now at the end of his rope, he really couldn't think of a better idea.

"Here he is," Munch said, as he got up from the bench. "Let me go meet with him, first."

Elliot turned to see a guy standing by the fountain who looked more like an accountant than a spy. As Munch approached him, the spy warily gestured at Elliot. To which Munch replied with a wave of his hand, as if to say that it was all right. The spy appeared to think it over for a second before he nodded. Munch then gestured for Elliot to come over.

"This is Elliot," Munch said to his friend. "His partner, Olivia Benson, is one of The Disappeared--as is Casey Novak, our ADA. Elliot, this is Jerry."

Elliot was surprised; he'd almost figured the guy's name would be Bond, James Bond. "Hey, how's it going?" he said by way of greeting.

"Pretty rough these days, Elliot," Jerry replied. He glanced at Munch and added, "The case of The Disappeared has got Washington in a wild panic."

"That's comforting to know," Munch sarcastically said.

"If you're looking for any dirt about who's behind this, John, I'm just as much in the dark as everybody else," Jerry confessed.

"Does anybody know anything?" Elliot asked. "Does somebody, somewhere, at least have a wild guess as to what's happened to all these people?"

"The word I heard is that the government's got some people working on it--people who are specialists in dealing with weird sort of stuff," Jerry said. "All eyes in Washington are on a very important, super-secret, black-ops group out in Colorado right now. Hell, even the President is supposedly waiting on pins and needles just to see what these people will do."

"What super-secret black ops group is this?" Munch asked.

Jerry glanced both ways before he responded. "I don't know much about them--nobody does--but their cover story is the study of deep space radar telemetry. They're based in Colorado Springs, in the Cheyenne Mountain complex. Since The Disappeared crisis began, just about all the resources of the government has been funneled directly to these guys."

Jerry glanced at his watch. "Look, I gotta run. There's an office meeting I'm already late for."

"That's it?" Elliot said with a frown. "That's all you got?"

Jerry shrugged. "Best I could do on such short notice."

Munch waved his hand. "No problem. I owe you one."

"That's actually several you owe me, Munch," Jerry said with a smile, "but who's counting?"

After Jerry left, Elliot shook his head. "He's not saying that these deep space guys are behind Liv and Casey's abduction, is he?"

"What purpose would it serve for the government to perform a mass kidnapping like this?" Munch asked. "Especially one that's so mysterious, with the victims being taken from locked homes?"

"But these people in Cheyenne Mountain, they know what's going on, don't they?" Elliot said. "So maybe they're the ones I should talk to next."

Munch stared at Elliot as if he were insane. "What? You mean just go to these folks at Cheyenne Mountain and ask what they know about Olivia and Casey?"

"Sure," Elliot said with a shrug. "Why not?"

Munch just shook his head in disbelief. "Elliot, are you sure you should still pursue this?"

"To the very ends of the earth, if need be," Elliot firmly replied. "This is Olivia and Casey we're talking about here, John."

"I know. But we're now dealing with the big leagues," Munch said. "Whatever happened to Olivia and Casey, whatever's going on with The Disappeared, it's something that's way over our heads, and probably way out of our jurisdiction."

"That's never stopped me before, John," Elliot calmly said. "And it's as sure as hell not gonna stop me, now. You in, or out?"

After a thoughtful pause, Munch let out a heavy sigh. "I hear Colorado Springs is very nice this time of year."

Elliot nodded. "Then let's go!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Yo, hold up!" Hailey called, as she and Satterfield ran across the vast hanger.

They were just in time. The hanger personnel had already loaded the downed teltac ship on the back of a massive flatbed truck, and were prepping it for transit to Area 51.

Hailey and Satterfield ceased running just as a captain stepped out in front of them, blocking their access to the truck. He was a tall and obnoxious-looking fellow who used his height advantage over the petite Hailey to loom over her. "What is it, _Lieutenants?_"

He spoke their rank as if it were a curse word. Hailey ignored the dig and gave him the proper salute, as did Satterfield. After glaring at them with disgust for a few seconds, the captain--whose name tag read Wolfforth--finally returned their salute.

"Sir, we need to go over the vessel once more before it gets shipped out," Hailey politely informed him.

"You're too late," Captain Wolfforth imperiously told them. "We're moving the ship out now. This teltac now belongs to Area 51, and I'm in command of the transfer."

After a furtive glance of disbelief at Satterfield, Hailey stepped forward and said, "Yes, sir. But I have been ordered by General Hammond to make another examination of the teltac's engines. Shall I call the general and inform him that you would not allow me to carry out his order?"

Wolfforth's eyes grew very wide at that, and Hailey knew she had him. "Uh, no, Lieutenant, that's all right," he quickly said. "You have permission to look it over. Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you, sir," Hailey replied, giving him another salute, before jumping onto the back of the flatbed truck.

"What a moron," Satterfield whispered. "If I ever get like that when I make captain, you'll straighten me out, right?"

"If you act like that when you make captain, I'll slap you silly," Hailey said, as she examined the blasted section of the engines. "Oh whoa, look at this, Satty."

Satterfield leaned forward. "That's where the blast occurred."

"Yeah, it took out the thruster." Hailey pointed. "But look, the hull's still intact. The explosion took place right over the hull itself. It didn't come from within the engine compartment."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the engine itself didn't explode; something on the outside of the hull caused the explosion which took out the thruster."

Satterfield frowned at her. "You mean she was shot down?"

"Or she was caused to crash deliberately," Hailey said, pointing, "by a bomb that was attached here."

"Wow," Satterfield muttered. "Sounds like it was set up to crash."

"Let's make sure by checking the engine compartment," Hailey said.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Are you sure about this, Doctor?" a skeptical Colonel Drumlin asked.

"Positive, sir," Janet told him. "The Jaffa had been dead for more than twelve hours already."

"Maybe they died in space," Major Lyman suggested, "before their ship crashed?"

"The ship had no cloak," Hammond told him. "If it were adrift in space for as long as those men had been dead, we would have seen it earlier. Besides, the F-22 pilots reported that it appeared to be operating under a pilot's control just before the engine exploded."

There was a moment of uneasy silence in the stargate control room, where they all stood. Janet glanced out the window and was pleased to see Sergeant Siler's team were packing up their equipment and moving it off the stargate platform.

"This whole situation just doesn't sound right," Hammond said. "Which is why I postponed my call to the Asgard and ordered Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield to check out the teltac ship one last time."

"You suspect it's a set up," Janet said with an approving nod.

"That's what Hailey and Satterfield should either confirm or deny," Hammond said. He glanced up and smiled. "And, speak of the devil…."

Janet turned to see the young lieutenants had just ran into the control room, both out of breath.

"S-Sir," Hailey got out, as she snapped off a salute. "It was…as you suspected…sir…."

Janet shook her head. "You two really need to learn how to pace yourselves…."

Hailey paused to take a deep breath, and then resumed in a normal voice: "I would need to do more testing to make sure, sir, but it appears that an explosive device was placed by one of the main thrusters on the teltac ship."

"The teltac was deliberately set up to crash?" Drumlin asked, looking amazed.

"Yes, sir," Hailey replied. "At least that's what it looks like."

Sergeant Siler, who stood with his team in the gate room, had a satisfied look on his face as he regarded the newly repaired iris on the stargate. Then he glanced over his shoulder and called, "Ok, hit it!"

Sergeant Harriman, seated in the control room, hit the pad on the control panel. A broad smile spread across his face when Harriman watched the iris open up, finally freeing the stargate.

He turned in his seat to face General Hammond, who stood behind him, and said, "We're back in business, sir!"

"Dial up P3X-897, and get the MALP ready," Hammond commanded.

"Right away, sir," Harriman said. He began counting down the chevrons as each one locked on the stargate.

"I could do a more detailed analysis of the teltac ship, if you wish more concrete proof, sir," Hailey suggested to Hammond.

"There's no need, Lieutenant. This whole thing already smells of a set up," Hammond said with disgust. "And I'm willing to bet my pension that our new friend Neith is the one behind it. I don't think it's a coincidence that SG-1 and SG-12 happened to run into her forces right about now."

"Chevron seven, locked!" Harriman called out.

The stargate flared momentarily before the event horizon stabilized. Janet saw that the gate room crew had a MALP ready and waiting, as per Hammond's orders. Once the road to P3X-897 was open, the MALP began rolling up the ramp, where it disappeared into the shimmering surface of the worm hole.

"The MALP has arrived at P3X-897," Harriman informed them.

Everyone watched the collection of monitors in the control room, which showed the MALP's POV as it chugged past the DHD. The camera on the MALP then panned over the landscape, which turned out to be devoid of the multitude of Jaffa whom Hailey, Satterfield and Cullman had barely escaped from.

"They're gone!" Satterfield said, sounding surprised.

Hailey pointed at one of the screens. "The mothership's still there, though."

"General," Drumlin said. "Looks like there's no better time than now…."

Hammond nodded. "Very well, Gene. You and your Marines have a go."

"Thank you sir. Bobby, call everybody up; lock and load. We're going in 'hot.'"

"Yes, sir," Lyman said, as he quickly picked up a phone and called SG-3 to arms.

Drumlin glanced at the two junior officers in the gate room. "Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield, I'd like for the two of you to join us. We could use your expertise."

"Yes, sir," Hailey said readily. After Drumlin left, she playfully punched Satterfield in the arm and quoted a line from Shakespeare: "Once more unto the breach…."

"Oh joy," Satterfield somberly replied, also quoting the Bard.

Janet watched as they left to get ready along with SG-3. She sincerely hoped there would not be any more causalities--yet the feeling of dread she had told her otherwise. Then Janet had an idea.

Hammond tried calling SG-1 through the communication connection on the MALP. When there was no response, he turned to Harriman and asked, "Are we being jammed?"

"No, sir," the sergeant replied. "There's just no response."

"Very well," Hammond muttered, sounding worried. "We should find out soon in any case."

"Sir," Janet spoke up. "This expedition will need a medic. I'd like to volunteer."

From the look of concern on Hammond's face, Janet expected him to deny her request. However, he surprised her by saying, "Very well. If Neith is behind the mass abductions--and I believe she is--we may also need a doctor over there to assess the condition of the abductees. Go get ready."

"Yes, sir." Janet nodded as she left the control room. She pushed all thoughts of the danger she faced out of her mind. Yet there was one fear that Janet could not avoid: 'I just hope Cassie doesn't kill me when I tell her!'

**SG-1: SVU**

Her Lord Empress Neith examined herself in the full length mirror with approval. She had changed out of the simple white dress she worn into an armored suit, complete with boots and gauntlets. Her raven black hair ran down past her shoulders. The medallion with two arrows crossed over a shield was on the center of her chest. She grasped a golden spear from the wall and left her private quarters.

When she emerged in the great hall, Neith was pleased to see Mo'at had assembled some of their finest warriors, all so they could hunt down the irksome SG-1.

'This will be fine sport,' she thought, with a smile.

All the Jaffa, including Mo'at, knelt before her with their fists crossed in front of their chest.

Neith held the golden spear up high over her head and said, "What do you live for, my darlings?"

"We live for the hunt, my Lord Empress Neith!" all the Jaffa said at once.

"Then the hunt shall begin," she proclaimed. "Forward!"

Yet when she turned around, Neith found herself staring at one of her peltac officers, who nervously bowed before her. "Forgive me, my Lord Empress, but you commanded to be informed when the stargate activated again. The commander of the staff cannon emplacements reports that it has just opened once more."

"And now a battle, as well as a hunt, begins," Neith said, as a slow grin crossed her features. "So much fun, so little time…. Mo'at!"

Mo'at quickly came around and stood before her. "Yes, my Lord Empress?"

She handed him the spear. "You are now the hunt commander. I want O'Neill's head on my trophy wall by nightfall. Make me proud."

Mo'at, accepting the spear, nodded. "It shall be my honor, my Lord Empress!"

"Come, boy," Neith gleefully said to the peltac officer. "Let's go watch as yet more Tauri Stargate troops fall helplessly upon our spears!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"There are never any back doors in this place!" Olivia said with a frown, as they came to another dead end. "What happens if there's ever a fire?"

"They die," Sam bluntly stated. "The Goa'uld aren't big on taking safety precautions, Liv."

"Why am I not surprised?" Olivia muttered with a shake of her head. They were now trapped inside the laboratory of the Royal Physician with a group of armed Jaffa blocking the only exit. "What else can go wrong?"

The response came in the sound of a crash from the next room.

"I think Nacre's awake," Sam said, with a look of dread. "We should have tied him up."

"Oh, jeez," Olivia muttered, as they both ran back into the examination room. So far, the Jaffa guarding the open doorway to the lab had no idea there was anything amiss, yet it appeared as if Sam and Olivia's luck in that regard had just ran out.

When they arrived in the examination room, they were alarmed to see the Royal Physician now stood woozily on his feet. When he saw the woman who assaulted him, Nacre pointed at Olivia and shouted, "Aiiieee! Someone help me!"

Sam darted over to the doorway of the lab just as a Jaffa warrior appeared there. She punched a button on a wall panel, and the door slid shut on the Jaffa before he could enter.

"Liv, give me the laser saw!" Sam cried.

Olivia stared helplessly at the collection of alien-looking devices on the table. "The _what_?!"

"The big thing on the very end, to your right…your _other_ right, Liv," Sam patiently directed. "That's it!"

When Olivia handed her the laser saw, Sam turned it on and ran the laser straight over the control panel. There was a bright spark as the circuitry exploded.

"That should prevent them from opening the door on the other side," Sam said.

"For how long?" Olivia asked.

Both women flinched, taking a step back, when a violent pounding could be heard against the door. It sounded as though the entire cadre of Jaffa posted outside were now all at once attempting to gain entrance into the lab.

"Not that long," Sam replied, as she stared wide-eyed at the door, "because they sound _real_ eager to get in…."

"You should surrender yourselves," Nacre told them. "And then perhaps Her Lord Empress Neith shall be merciful in how she kills you."

"Oh, yeah, that's a great option," Olivia said, nodding, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "But you're forgetting something, slappy…."

"What might that be?" Nacre asked smugly.

"You were just about to slice Sam's head open before." Olivia gestured at Sam. "And now _she's_ the one with the laser saw. Care to give the good doctor a taste of his own medicine, Sam?"

Sam smiled broadly as she started up the laser saw. "Love to…."

Nacre's eyes grew comically large as Sam approached him with the laser saw running at full power. "Wait, you can't do this!"

"Sure we can," Olivia cheerfully replied. "Since we're trapped here with you, there's really nothing better to do than to make sure that you die before we do. Unless…."

Sam had Nacre backed up against the wall when he stared at Olivia hopefully. "Unless…what?!"

"Unless you can tell us of another way out of here," Olivia said, leaning in just over Sam's shoulder. Sam still held the laser saw up at a threatening angle, right in front of Narce's throat.

"There's no other way out," Nacre quickly said.

"Oh, come on," Sam said, shaking her head. "You mean there isn't even a vent, or--?"

"No, that door is the only way out of this lab!" Nacre insisted. "The lab was designed this way, with its own enclosed venting system, to prevent the spread of pathogens!"

Sam powered down the laser saw as she shook her head dismally. "Damn it, he's right, Liv."

"You sure?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, it makes sense to contain the lab like this, just like he says," Sam said with a sigh. "Well, at least I got to finally play 'good cop, bad cop.' How was I?"

"Very good," Olivia commented. "Or, in your case, you were very bad. My partner, Elliot, usually plays that part in the interrogations. And you'd give him a run for his money."

Sam smiled. "Really? Cool!"

Both women turned their attention back to the door when the banging abruptly ceased, only to be replaced by muffled weapons fire.

"Sounds like they're now trying to shoot their way in," Sam said grimly. "Looks like they'll be coming in a lot sooner than we hoped."

Olivia glanced at Narce--then, when she saw Sam was also staring at the hapless Royal Physician, she asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Sam?"

"Yeah. I guess I'm still in 'bad cop' mode," Sam said, with a slight smile.

Nacre let out a shrill cry when the women grabbed him from the wall and thrust the man up in front of them as though he were a shield. Sam powered up the laser saw and held the hot plasma blade as close as she dared to his throat.

"They may just zat the three of us," Sam said, as they anxiously waited for the Jaffa to come storming in. "You realize that, right?"

"Yeah, but not before we slit little Nacre's neck," Olivia replied. "That should stop them dead in their tracks. I hope."

The firing stopped. Then the door was pried open by what appeared to be the blade of a knife that was stuck in through the slits.

Olivia, Sam and Nacre all braced themselves--yet instead of an onslaught of Jaffa, they found themselves staring at O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c, who entered the room and stared back at them with equal surprise. Behind them the squad of Jaffa lay dead in the corridor.

"Hey, kids!" O'Neill said, smiling. "Long time, no see!"

"Sir!" Sam said, relieved. She shut off the laser saw and removed it from Nacre's neck. "It's good to see you!"

"Same here, Carter," O'Neill replied. He did a double take at the outfit that Olivia wore. "Why, Liv…you've gone native on us!"

"Not by my choice," Olivia replied, herself comforted at the sight of him, Teal'c and Daniel. "It's really great to see you guys, again."

Luanda and Liandra entered, and the girl, who was overjoyed to see them, gave Olivia and Sam a hug each.

When Olivia saw Liandra, she smiled at the woman and said, "I see you found your daughter. I'm very happy for you."

"And I am happy you were able to rescue Sam," Liandra replied, with a smile.

"Sam, this is Liandra," Olivia introduced them. "She's Luanda's mom. Liandra, this is Major Samantha Carter. You know her as the golden-haired woman."

"I'm pleased to meet you," Sam said, smiling. Her smile faded as she glanced at O'Neill. "So, sir, what's the plan?"

Before O'Neill could respond, Nacre solemnly said, "You should all just surrender yourselves to Her Lord Empress Ne--"

Both Olivia and Sam whirled around to face Nacre and--at the same time--said: "Shut up!"

Nacre cringed in response, holding his hands up as if to ward off an attack from either or both of the women.

"I take it he's the Royal Physician?" Daniel said, as he handed Sam a zat.

"Yeah, he is. Thanks," Olivia said, when she accepted the zat that Daniel gave her. "And he's an annoying little bastard to boot!"

"He was about to slice my head open with this laser saw--while I was tied down and still awake--before Liv came in and rescued me, sir," Sam said.

"Really?" O'Neill said, as he gave Nacre a hard look. "Is that a fact?"

Now Nacre cringed from the murderous glare at O'Neill gave him.

"O'Neill," Teal'c called from the doorway. "We should leave."

"Way ahead of you, Teal'c," O'Neill replied, as he still glared at Narce. "We'll take the good doctor with us. In case we run into any Jaffa, we'll throw him in front of us to use as a shield."

"This is outrageous!" Narce cried, as O'Neill grabbed him behind the neck and hauled him out of the lab. "You can not do--"

"Or I could kill you right here," O'Neill told Nacre, as he stuck his zat gun right in the Royal Physician's face. "What's it gonna be, Nacre old buddy?"

"Oh no, take me with you, please," Nacre said, holding his hands up while giving O'Neill a pleading look. "I-I could even help you!"

"That's more like it," O'Neill muttered, as they all resumed walking down the corridor.

Teal'c took point, walking slightly ahead of them, while O'Neill and the overly anxious Nacre were just behind him. Luanda and her mother followed, with Daniel, Olivia and Sam bringing up the rear.

"Sir, where are we going?" Sam asked in a whisper.

"Back to the slave quarters," O'Neill responded.

"Still want to free them, huh?" Daniel said. "No argument there. Those poor souls deserve it."

"Wait," Liandra called, just as they came to a junction. She pointed to the corridor to their left. "This way will take us to the slave quarters much faster."

O'Neill nodded his thanks to her as they all turned in that direction.

"We should all attack the Jaffa barracks," Luanda boldly said, as they went down the corridor, "and slit their throats open while they sleep in their bunks!"

"Hush, little one!" Liandra scolded her. "A true warrior knows when to pick and choose her battles."

"Yes, mother," Luanda respectfully said.

"A little parental guidance," O'Neill muttered, smiling with approval. "Just what we needed!"

Teal'c motioned for them to stop while he went ahead to scout out another junction in the corridor.

"When we free the slaves, you think any of them might be inclined to give us a hand?" Olivia asked O'Neill.

"That's exactly my thinking, Liv," he said.

When Teal'c waved the 'all-clear' back at them, they began running down the corridor once more.

"Because, God knows," O'Neill said to Olivia, "we could certainly use all the friends we can get at this point…."

**SG-1: SVU**

"All right, everybody form up, now!" Marine Sergeant Barman shouted at the troops assembled in the gate room. "Look lively, ladies, look live….uh, pardon me, doctor."

Janet, who stood in line with the Marines of SG-3, flashed him a smile. Dressed as she was in full combat gear, including a helmet, Janet probably would have went unnoticed had it not been for the fact that, at 5'2, she was one of the shortest people in the group. Only Lieutenant Hailey was even shorter than she was--yet she stood off to the side, away from the main group, with Satterfield. Both Lieutenants stared glumly at the glowing event horizon of the stargate, the tension in their faces obvious.

"Um, there's no need for you to stand to with the rest of the maggots, doctor," Sergeant Barman told her. Then a frown crossed his face when Barman realized what he'd just said. "Uh, my apologies, Major, I did not mean to imply that you, yourself, were a maggot…."

"That's quite all right, Sergeant," Janet told him, grinning, as she stepped out of the line of troops. There were eleven in all--twelve, if she counted Sgt. Barman. The usual number of SG-3 members were four, much like all SG teams. Yet Colonel Drumlin had come up with the inspired idea of calling in the reserve--or off-duty--Marines whenever there was a crisis situation, such as now. This effectively tripled SG-3's size, and it appeared as if they would need all the extra members they had. "I'd be honored to be associated with such a fine group of men and women as this."

Janet excused herself and went over to Hailey and Satterfield, who were both staring so intently at the stargate with such dread that it looked as if they were expecting it to attack them.

"Excuse me, Lieutenants," Janet said, patting the holster on her belt which contained her nine millimeter Baretta. "But, should we run into trouble, which end of the gun should I point at the enemy? The end with the little hole in it, right?"

The sense of dread that Hailey and Satterfield had was now replaced by an expression of sheer horror as they both stared wide-eyed at Janet.

"Kidding! I'm just kidding," Janet quickly told them. "I've been through basic training; I know how to handle a gun. Sorry, it's just that the both of you looked so anxious just now. I thought a little joke might help break the tension."

Hailey nodded, as her features relaxed with relief. "Thanks, doctor, I appreciate it."

"Glad you're coming with us," Satterfield said with a smile.

"Thanks," Janet replied. 'I just hope there won't be any need for my services,' she secretly hoped.

Colonel Drumlin glanced up at the control booth. "SG-3 is ready, sir!"

**SG-1: SVU**

General Hammond stared at the monitor one more time. The image sent from the MALP still showed the area to be clear. Yet he could not help but feel that he was missing something.

"Sir?" Sergeant Harriman prompted. "SG-3 is waiting for the go-ahead."

"So they are," Hammond muttered. "Very well. Gene," he said into the microphone. "Neith has a nasty habit of launching missiles, so don't stay out in the open any longer than you absolutely have to, understand?"

In the gate room, Drumlin nodded his head. "Yes, sir. Understood."

'Well, I guess this is it, then,' Hammond grimly thought. "Very well, SG-3, you have a go, and godspeed."

And yet as Hammond watched as Colonel Drumlin led his team up the ramp towards the stargate, he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very dreadfully wrong with this situation.

**SG-1: SVU**

Neith settled into her command chair in the peltac aboard her mothership. All eyes--both living and electronical--were now focused on the stargate in the valley below them. The stargate was still open, it's event horizon shimmering like a jewel.

Neith double checked the shield generators and was pleased to see that they were all working perfectly. The entire stargate was surrounded by a wall of inpenetrable force shields--the only opening was on top, which allowed the staff cannon gun crews ample room to hit their targets. Neith had ordered them to hold their fire until the entire SG team was on the stargate platform. She wanted all of them to be cut down at the same time.

'Glorious, simply glorious,' Her Lord Empress Neith thought, smiling, as she casually sat back and waited for the masscare to begin.

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I'd like to thank **Mia66**, **piecesofyourheart** and **SVU Chicky** for their kind words. Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter. _

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Eight**

'Damn it,' Hammond thought, shaking his head. 'Something's just not right!'

He leaned over to the microphone and shouted, "SG-3, hold your position! Cancel!"

Colonel Drumlin was just about to lead the first wave of his team through the stargate when Hammond's order echoed in the gate room. Drumlin immediately raised his hand and waved his confused-looking team back from the gate.

"All SG-3 officers, report to the control room," Hammond said. Then he turned to Harriman and added, "Walter, get me the original video of the MALP that first arrived on P3X-897, and put it up side by side with the present image that we have now."

"Right away, sir," Harriman said, as he began typing the commands into the computer. "The image from the MALP that first explored P3X-897 is up on monitor two, sir."

Hammond watched as the recorded footage of the MALP that originally explored P3X-897 played on the second monitor. "Son of a bitch," he muttered, shaking his head. "Walter, freeze the image right there!"

"Yes, sir."

Drumlin entered the control room with Major Lyman, Dr. Fraiser and Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield. "Sir," Drumlin said respectfully, "may I ask what happened?"

"This happened." Hammond pointed at the two monitors. "Monitor one is a live feed from P3X-897, while monitor two is footage from the original first contact MALP. They're both showing the exact same area, but during two different times. All of you take a good look and tell me what you see."

"Good God," Hailey muttered, as she stared in disbelief at the two images. "That boulder, sir. I don't recall seeing that before…."

"Exactly, Lieutenant," Hammond said with a nod. "That massive boulder, which we now see sitting in front of the stargate platform, wasn't there when we first made contact with the planet. In fact, you will notice that it's one in a group of boulders that now circles the stargate--all of which have magically appeared out of nowhere."

"Shield generators," Hailey said. "That's what they've got to be! The entire area surrounding the stargate is encased in a shield."

"Those bastards created a killing box," Drumlin angrily said. "We would have been trapped, left wide open for snipers--who are probably all along the ridges above, sir."

Hammond was about to order Harriman to search, but was pleased to see the sergeant had already began to scan the upper ridges that surrounded the stargate with the MALP camera.

Harriman excitedly pointed at the screen. "I see something, sir!"

"Zoom in," Hammond said.

When he did, everyone was stunned to see not Jaffa snipers, but a series of Jaffa staff cannons all lined up on the ridge above the stargate.

"Sweet Jesus," Lyman said softly. "We would have been _slaughtered_…."

Hammond switched on the microphone and said, "SG-3, clear the gate room, now!"

Under Sergeant Barman's shepherding, the Marines quickly scampered out of the gate room.

"What are you going to do, sir?" Janet asked, looking pale.

"I'm clearing the road for you, Doctor," Hammond gently replied. He then glanced down at Sergeant Harriman and added, "Walter, shall we?"

Harriman merely looked up at him with a broad smile on his face. "With pleasure, sir!"

**SG-1: SVU**

'Why are they taking so long?' Neith wondered, as she watched the glittering stargate with suspicion. Normally the Tauri Stargate teams emerged through the gate the instant it was activated. Neith considered that perhaps it was her own desire to see her enemies ensnared in the trap she had so carefully built for them that made her so impatient.

She was about to command one of the peltac technicians to contact the staff cannon emplacement leader, to see if he could tell what was happening from his vantage point, when something happened that made Her Lord Empress Neith stand upright from her chair and stare in disbelief at the stargate.

A missile shot out from the stargate at a sharp angle. It arced straight up, right over the top of the shields--using the very same opening that would have allowed her staff cannon crews to fire down on the hapless stargate team--and rammed itself right into the ridge where Neith had placed her staff cannons.

Neith watched with horror as the majority of her staff cannons and their crews were obliterated in the ensuing explosion. And, to make matters worse, the ridge had been weakened to the point where it collapsed; the resulting avalanche having swept away the few remaining gun crews that managed to survive the initial attack.

And as if that weren't bad enough, then the second missile emerged from the stargate.

It roared almost straight up into the sky before it swerved in a graceful arc and flew back towards the ground--right at the camouflaged shield generators. Instead of ramming into them, the second missile exploded directly above them, the force of the explosion--along with the millions of shards of shrapnel that it released--ripping three of the generators apart.

Neith watched, stunned, as the shield crackled and sparked. With the circular link broken, the remaining generators could not maintain the integrity of the shield, and so it shut down with a fizzle.

The stargate was now wide open and unprotected.

"_Nooooooo!_" Neith roared in fury.

**SG-1: SVU**

"The shield is down!" Harriman reported from his console. "All staff cannon positions have been taken out!"

"SG-3, you now have a go!" Hammond ordered. "Godspeed, people!"

"Go, go, go!" Drumlin shouted, as SG-3 all raced up the ramp and into the stargate, their weapons ready.

When she emerged on the other side, Hailey was greeted with a much better sight this time. In the distance, a large cloud of dust arose from where the staff cannon emplacements were, and Hailey smiled when she got a glimpse of several damaged-beyond-repair shield generators sparkling and crackling on the ground before her. Their camouflage rock coverings fluttered absurdly in the wind.

"Keep moving!" Major Lyman called. "Don't stop until you're under cover of the tree line!"

Hailey jumped off the stargate platform, with Satterfield right next to her, and dove for cover in the foliage. Once they were in the woods and safely away from the stargate platform, Hailey started to look around in a panic for the other shortest figure in the group. "Hey! Anybody see Fraiser?!"

"H-Here," she said, waving. Doctor Frasier leaned up against a tree, trying to catch her breath.

"You all right, Doc?" Satterfield asked, as she and Hailey came over to Fraiser.

"Oh, yeah," Fraiser replied, still breathless, as she gave the thumbs up. "That was…a little more excitement…than I'm used to…I guess!"

"You know, ma'am," Hailey said, as a slight smile crossed her lips, "you should really learn how to pace yourself."

Fraiser shot her an annoyed look. "Oh, very funny! You remind me of my daughter, Lieutenant. Like you, she's a great kid, but can be a little brat when she wants to be."

"Everybody take cover!" Colonel Drumlin ordered.

Hailey saw through the trees that Neith's mothership had launched what appeared to be a missile. She dove for cover as the missile shot straight towards the stargate and exploded on the platform. The MALP was incinerated. But the stargate and the DHD, which were made of far stronger stuff, survived.

"The explosion shut down the stargate, sir," Hailey noted.

"Let's move out," Drumlin quietly ordered, "before they adjust their range with the next one."

Before Satterfield joined Hailey, Fraiser and the rest of the team as they sought deeper cover into the woods, she paused to stare with disgust at the billowing smoke that was created by the explosion.

"Jeez, what a sore loser," Satterfield muttered, as she walked away.

**SG-1: SVU**

They were all about to storm the slave quarters when Teal'c--who was acting as a scout, walking several feet ahead of them--had paused by the doorway and motioned for all of them to stop abruptly.

When O'Neill came up to his position, Teal'c simply pointed beyond the doorway. O'Neill was disheartened to see a large force of Jaffa now patrolled the slave stalls--far too large a number for them to deal with. Apparently, their rescue of Luanda before had been noticed, and reinforcements were sent to secure the area. The presence of this small army of Jaffa in the slave quarters threw a major monkey wrench into O'Neill's plans.

Carter came up on his six and glanced over O'Neill's shoulder. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the Jaffa force within. "What do we do now, sir?"

When he glanced back at her, O'Neill noticed the reddish marks on her throat and wrists for the first time--and angrily realized they were from the straps that had bound Carter to the examination table in the laboratory. She had been a helpless captive, and had it not been for Olivia, Sam's life would have been snuffed out as if she were so much a lab specimen.

'Damn it, I should have strangled that little son of a bitch,' O'Neill thought, as he glared hatefully at Nacre. The Royal Physician was being carefully watched a few feet behind them by Daniel and Olivia.

"Sir," Carter prompted, gazing at him with concern. "What now?"

He stared into Sam's eyes and realized how close he came to losing her forever. And all O'Neill really wanted to do right now was to just hold Sam tightly and never let go of her.

'Focus, Jack, stay focused,' he commanded himself. 'We're not out of the woods, yet.'

Not exactly knowing what to do now--he never had a plan 'B,' in case this one didn't work--O'Neill simply shrugged and said, "How about we go find that Jaffa spa that you and Liv were talking about before? I could sure go for a good massage right about now…."

Teal'c merely cocked an eyebrow at him, while Carter slowly shook her head in disbelief--yet O'Neill was pleased to see that she still had a small smile. He loved how Carter was always receptive to his humor, even if she didn't get the joke every time.

"Ok," O'Neill admitted with a sigh, "so maybe that's a bad--"

He was cut off by the sound of a loud klaxon that erupted throughout the ship. It was a high-pitched, continuous whooping sound; not unlike the action station alarms he'd heard on U.S. Navy ships.

"Great, because of us, now the ship's going on full alert," O'Neill glumly said.

"No," a stunned Liandra said, gesturing at the klaxon. "This is a call to battle stations! We're under attack!"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called, as he gestured once more inside the slave quarters.

They watched as the small army of Jaffa, responding to the klaxon, hastily picked up their weapons and marched at a full run through a side door. They left behind only four guards on the main platform.

'Now that's more like it!' O'Neill thought happily. 'We can handle that bunch….'

"Jack," Daniel called. "Liv and I can't be sure, but we thought we just heard explosions before."

"They sounded muffled," Olivia added, "like they came from outside the ship."

"General Hammond might have sent reinforcements," Carter said hopefully. "We could be hearing the battle outside."

"I hope they're SG-3," Daniel said. "We could use some Marines at this party."

"You ready T?" O'Neill asked.

When Teal'c nodded, bringing his staff weapon up to bear, O'Neill glanced back at the others and said, "All right. Let's see if we can't invite a few more friends of ours to this little party of ours. Let's go!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"The stargate platform was hit by a missile," Harriman reported, with a shake of his head. "The MALP is history, sir. But all of our people were clear long before the missile hit."

Hammond nodded. "Reload _our_ missiles and prepare to redial the gate, Walter." He switched on the microphone and ordered, "Prepare a UAV for flight!"

"The same address, I take it, sir?"

"You're damn right, the same address," Hammond firmly replied. "I want to keep the pressure up on Neith for as long as we can."

**SG-1: SVU**

The four Jaffa who had been left behind on the center platform were easily taken care off. Olivia was pleased to see Teal'c took two of the bastards out with his staff weapon, while Sam and O'Neill each got the other two with their zats.

Olivia stayed behind with Daniel, Liandra and Luanda to cover them. She also helped to keep a wary eye on Nacre, who kept nervously mumbling under his breath about the diseases they were being exposed to just by standing in the slave quarters.

'A doctor who's a hypochondriac,' Olivia thought with a roll of her eyes. 'Now I've truly seen everything!'

They stood in front of one of the slave stalls, and its inhabitant was a poor soul who was already dead. Olivia had seen her share of squalid places as a detective with the Special Victims Unit, but the slave quarters was just hell, plain and simple. The sight of this wretched place had made her not only determined to survive this nightmare, but to also make sure she could do whatever she could to help the others to put a stop to Neith.

Olivia stopped short when she thought she heard something--it sounded like a cry out for help from some where within the mass of slave stalls. But thanks to Nacre's constant babbling, she couldn't be sure.

She strode up to Nacre, stuck her zat into his face, and said, "Hey, shut up."

A wide-eyed Nacre stared fearfully at her as he immediately ceased talking.

Daniel glanced back at Olivia with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Just listen," Olivia said, holding up a hand. "I thought I heard--"

Olivia was startled when she heard a man's voice call out: "Liandra?"

She glanced around, holding her zat up just in case, until she heard the man call again. "Liandra? Is that you?"

A glance at the woman told Olivia that she didn't hear the man. Olivia went over, tapped Liandra on the shoulder and said, "There's somebody calling your name back here."

Liandra and Luanda came back with Olivia, and when she heard the man's voice call again, Liandra's eyes grew wide. "Marten!" she called, running into a stall.

Olivia saw Liandra embrace a man who was shackled to a post in a slave stall. When they released each other, Marten said, "Sartor is here. He's in the next stall!"

Luanda let out an excited squeal as she ran into the next stall. "Daddy!" she cried. "Mommy, he's dead!"

Olivia came in and felt the prone Sartor for a pulse. He had been savagely beaten, but was still alive. She smiled with relief at Luanda. "He's just unconscious."

Olivia got out of the way as Liandra bent down and gently caressed her husband's face. "Awaken, my love," Liandra murmured. "For your wife and daughter are here by your side."

Sartor awoke with a puzzled smile. "Liandra? Am I dead?"

"If that is so, then we are all dead," Liandra told him. "Nay, we still live, my husband. And while we still draw breath, my love for you shall live on."

Olivia grinned at the joyous family reunion, as Sartor tightly hugged his wife and daughter in the confines of the narrow stall where he had been kept prisoner. His ankle was shackled to a post.

Daniel called to O'Neill, Sam and Teal'c: "We've found Sartor down here!"

"Great!" O'Neill said, as he came over to them. "How you doing, buddy?"

"I am as well as I can be in this horrendous place," Sartor told him, as he held his wife and daughter in an embrace. "Yet now, I am even better! Much thanks to you, and your friends, O'Neill!"

"I'm afraid it's not over, yet," Sam said.

O'Neill nodded grimly. "We've still got a hell of a fight ahead of us, Sartor. You think you and your people are up to it?"

"Free us and we shall show you, O'Neill," Sartor said with a broad smile.

"Teal'c?" O'Neill asked.

"Stand clear," Teal'c told Liandra and Luanda.

Mother and daughter quickly got out of the way as Teal'c aimed his staff weapon and blasted the chain that secured Sartor's ankle to a post in the wall.

"All right, let's start freeing up all the people we can find," O'Neill said.

**SG-1: SVU**

When Mo'at arrived on the peltac, it was a hotbed of frenzied activity. Officers ran back and forth, scrambling for new information, as well as carrying out new orders. And in the center of it all stood Neith, who was so enraged that Mo'at was afraid to approach her.

When she saw him standing there, Neith's eyes flared momentarily. "The Tauri managed to wipe out my staff cannon emplacement, take down the shields, _and_ mount an assault," she said. "I have badly underestimated them, Mo'at. It shall not happen again."

"My Lord Empress," Mo'at said by way of greeting, bowing respectfully. "Has the new stargate team sought cover?"

"They have. And it was more than just a four-member team this time. Hammond sent a larger force of about fifteen, and they appeared to be well-armed," Neith told him. She shook her head with disgust. "I have sent troops to secure the stargate, as well as to hunt down--"

"My Lord Empress!" one of the peltac officers shouted, as he pointed out the window. "The stargate!"

Mo'at glanced outside and saw that the stargate was once more open. A small, remote-controlled plane shot out and flew over the troops who were presently rushing towards the gate. They all stared at it as though it were the strangest bird they'd ever seen. In fact the troops were so distracted by the plane, that they never saw the missile as it roared out of the stargate, heading straight for them.

Mo'at flinched as he watched the missile strike the army of Jaffa dead center within its ranks. The explosion tossed Jaffa bodies around as though they were rag dolls. The entire ground force was wiped out.

"_Where are my gliders?!_" Neith screamed. "_I ordered them airborne minutes ago!_"

"There they are, my Lord Empress!" Mo'at said, pointing at a pair of death gliders that had just taken off from the mothership.

"Command them to shoot down that plane," Neith told him. "It is choosing targets for the Tauri missiles!"

Mo'at relayed her order to the glider pilots, who quickly hunted down the unmanned Tauri plane and blew it out of the sky.

But not before another missile shot out from the stargate.

"Incoming missile!" Mo'at shouted.

"Where is this one headed?" Neith asked.

Mo'at's eyes grew large with fear. "Straight for us, my Lord Empress!"

Neith let out a low, angry snarl as the second Tauri missile bored right down on the peltac command center of her ship.

**SG-1: SVU**

"What you ask is impossible," the man told Sartor. "We are now trapped in the belly of the great beast, how can we dare fight back?"

'There's always one in every crowd,' Sam thought, trying to hide her irritation. She glanced at Olivia, who also looked annoyed at the less than enthusiastic reaction they had received so far.

They had freed a sizeable number of the people in the slave quarters--mainly the recently captured Kelori, who were still in decent enough shape to fight. But as soon as Sartor tried to rally them to arms, he was met only with fear and panic, which was stirred by a select few who had witnessed the execution of their leader Revlon.

"The great Revlon, along with the high council, are all dead," the man continued. "Their heads now on display on Neith's ghastly trophy wall. How can we go on?"

Olivia leaned in and whispered into Sam's ear: "Now I'm _really_ sorry I made fun of the poor guy…."

Sam just gave her a sympathetic look, as if to say 'what can you do?'

O'Neill stepped forward on the platform, where he stood with Sartor and the others. "How can you go on?" he asked the crowd of Kelori. "Any way you can!"

"But we are in the lair of the she-wolf!" another man called.

"The she-wolf isn't invincible!" O'Neill shouted back. "She can be defeated just like anybody else. You heard the alarms go off before. Neith is under attack right now by _my_ people. Now is when Neith is at her weakest, and it's _now_ that we must seize the advantage!"

The crowd muttered among itself uncertainly.

Then everybody in the slave quarters were startled when a heavy rumbling rattled throughout the entire mothership. The lights in the ceiling flickered briefly as the alarm began to blare once more throughout the ship.

"What the hell was that?" Olivia, looking stunned, asked. "An earthquake?"

"No," Sam replied. She couldn't keep the awe out of her voice. "We were hit by something."

"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed with a nod. "It would appear that this ship has just been struck by incoming fire."

"From the SGC," Sam said, as she exchanged a hopeful look with O'Neill. "Sir, I think it's safe to say that General Hammond has launched a full scale assault out there!"

"And we've got to help them!" O'Neill said to the crowd. "My people are out there, fighting--and possibly dying--for all of us. Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing?!"

"NO!" Sartor cried. "If this is truly the only opportunity we have to rid ourselves of Neith once and for all, then we must help O'Neill and his friends, no matter what the cost! And even if we should fail, then I would rather die fighting on my feet, than die like an animal chained up in these stalls!"

With that, the Kelori all roared their approval as one, raising their fists up in the air in defiance.

"Finally," O'Neill said, as he came over to Sam and the others. "Who knew Sartor had it in him to stir his people on like this?"

"Oh, I don't know, sir," Sam said, smiling. "You were pretty stirring yourself there."

"Yeah, _I'd_ follow you into battle," Daniel chimed in. "Actually, I _have_ followed you into battle…quite often, in fact…."

"But shouldn't we just take cover?" Olivia asked. "I mean, if they're bombing the ship out there--"

"The ship's shields will protect it from any onslaught of missiles," Teal'c told her. "It is a tactic of harassment, at best."

"Not unless we take out the shields," O'Neill said.

"We could if we pulled the proper crystals," Sam confidently told him. "Just show me where the controls are."

"These shields," Olivia asked, "are they anything like what they have on Star Trek?"

"Pretty much," O'Neill told her. He grew thoughtful for a moment, and Sam knew him well enough to know that O'Neill was formulating a plan of action. "If I know Hammond, he's got people on the ground out there, and that second team will try to penetrate this ship."

"They can't. Not with the shields up," Sam said. Then something occurred to her. "Unless they try to come in through the complex."

"The complex?" Olivia asked.

"It's the base where we found you and the other abducted people," Sam explained. "The mothership's landing platform is right on top of it. But I doubt the ship's shields extend to the base itself, sir."

O'Neill nodded. "That's the Achilles' Heel to this whole place. We've got to get down to the complex and help the second team to get in." He turned to Liandra and asked, "Do you know what a ring transporter is?"

"Yes," Liandra said with a nod.

"Great. Where's the one that's nearest to this location?"

"Down the east corridor, in the central junction," Liandra replied. "But it's always heavily guarded."

Getting an idea, Sam turned to Liandra and asked, "Would you know where they've put our gear?" When O'Neill gave her a puzzled look, Sam said, "Sir, it would be a big help if we could communicate with the other team and coordinate our plan of attack."

"And I'd also feel better taking on a squad of Jaffa with our regular weapons," O'Neill said. "Good thinking, Carter."

"Your gear?" Liandra said, looking confused.

"They had equipment, tools and weapons, which the Jaffa took from them when we were all captured," Olivia patiently explained. "Do you know where this stuff would be kept?"

"All belongings taken from newly acquired slaves are placed in the storage bin," Liandra replied. She pointed at a massive vault-like door on the far side of the slave quarters. "Right over there."

"What would you wish for us to do, O'Neill?" Sartor asked.

"Have your folks start freeing everybody they can find," O'Neill told him. "You and some of your men can come with us. We're going on a little shopping spree!"

As they ran over to the vault, Olivia asked, "What's a ring transporter, anyway?"

Sam was about to give her a detailed answer--she had just opened her mouth to speak--until O'Neill interjected: "You know the transporters on Star Trek? Pretty much the same thing, Liv."

"Really?" Olivia said, looking impressed. "Cool!"

O'Neill gave Sam a sheepish look and said, "Sorry Carter, but we don't have all day to listen to your techno-babble."

'But you have time enough for it when it _saves_ the day, don't you?' Sam thought with an infuriated sigh. Still, she supposed the Colonel had a point, as always. They had to move fast. Besides, there was always that lunch that she promised Olivia. There would be time enough then for them to talk about whatever they wanted.

After Teal'c blasted the lock on the vault with his staff weapon, they were able to get the door open and uncover a veritable treasure trove of their equipment--including their weapons, radios and even their vests. Sartor and his people were pleasantly surprised to find their weapons--including bow and arrows, crossbows and spears--had also been stored here as well.

Sam immediately felt better as she strapped her equipment and weapons back onto her body. She'd felt naked without them. O'Neill, who had finished strapping on his own gear, held up his radio and said, "Shall we?"

Sam shrugged. "Only one way to find out, sir."

**SG-1: SVU**

"We have arrived at the gate, my Lord Empress," the Jaffa in command of the secondary ground force reported by radio.

"Dial the gate with the address I've given you," Neith commanded from her chair in the center of the peltac. "Do it now."

The peltac shields had resisted the Tauri missile, as expected. And once they recovered from the attack, Neith had shut the stargate down once again with another missile strike on the gate platform. And now that her secondary force had arrived, they could open the gate from their end and prevent any more missile attacks from earth. But the problem was that this ground force had to be diverted form their original mission of hunting down the new SG team that Hammond managed to get through. And they could be anywhere by now.

"The stargate is dialed out, my Lord Empress," the commander reported.

"Keep the gate open," she instructed. "As soon as it closes, open it again right away. Understand?"

"Yes, my Lord Empress!"

Neith sat back wearily in her chair and thought, 'I am missing something. What is it?'

Mo'at bowed before her. "My Lord Empress, allow me to take command of the ground troops. I shall hunt down this new Tauri stargate team like the dogs they are!"

Neith was about to give him permission to do so, until a revelation struck her. "No, Mo'at. This new force Hammond sent is an aggressive one; they are a group of hunters. They will try and strike at us at our weakest point. That will be the base upon which our ship sits. Take a battalion of Jaffa down to the base and defend it against attack. Just wait for them to attack, Mo'at, and then kill them all."

Mo'at nodded with a smile. "As you command, my Lord Empress."

As he ran off to do her bidding. Neith glanced up at the glowing force shields that had protected her and the peltac command crew from the incoming missile. General Hammond had to have known that her ship would have been protected with shields, yet he still shot that missile straight at her in any case.

'It was an act of pure impudence,' she realized, growing angry. 'The very nerve! Once I conquer earth, I shall find Hammond and impale his head on the highest stake!'

**SG-1: SVU**

'Good God,' Janet thought, as she gazed up at the Goa'uld mothership with awe. She'd forgotten how imposing these things could be.

She had taken cover just behind the tree line on the edge of the forest with the rest of SG-3. Hailey and Satterfield were with her; the two young lieutenants had stuck to Janet like glue since they left the stargate. Janet wasn't really sure if they stayed close to her because they were protecting her, or if they thought she was protecting them…and she didn't really care. She liked Hailey and Satterfield, and had grown used to having them by her side.

Janet ducked her head down behind the fallen tree when she heard the death glider screech right over their position in the skies above. The glider, unable to see through the canopy of trees they were under, flew past without incident.

She didn't realize it at first, but Janet had protectively placed her hands over the heads of Hailey and Satterfield, who each lay on opposite sides of her. With a shy smile, Janet quickly removed her hands from their helmets and guiltily said, "Sorry…."

"A compassionate doctor to the bitter end…." Hailey jokingly muttered.

Satterfield rolled over on her side and gazed thoughtfully at Colonel Drumlin and Major Lyman, who were huddled together a few feet away from them in conference. "When do you think we'll be hitting the installation?"

"When Colonel Drumlin's ready, I'm sure we'll be among the first to know," Janet replied. She stared at the vast Goa'uld complex once more and just hoped that SG-1 were still alive somewhere in there. The thought of having to use her medical skills to save Sam and the others was a frightening one, but Janet had braced herself for that possibility.

Then, everybody within SG-3 were startled when their radios came to life with the voice of Jack O'Neill: "Sierra Gulf One Leader to any Sierra Gulf team in the area. Come in. Over."

Drumlin, who had been just as startled as everyone else, quickly keyed his radio. "Sierra Gulf One Leader, this is Sierra Gulf Three. Come back. Over."

There was silence for a spell, then O'Neill casually said, "Hey, Gene! You and the kids just happen to be in the neighborhood? Over."

Drumlin couldn't help but smile at that. "Yeah, Jack. And we've got some extra room in the mini-van. You'd like a ride? Over."

"That's a big affirmative, Gene. My kids and I are all together and safe…for the time being. Over."

Janet was just elated beyond words to hear that news. If it were at all possible, she would have called Cassie right then and there, just to let her know that Sam was all right. When she saw the immense look of relief in Hailey's eyes, Janet realized that she and Cassie weren't the only ones who had been worried sick about Sam.

'Well, first things, first,' Janet dolefully reminded herself, as she stared back at the Goa'uld monstrosity that loomed over all of them. 'Now we've got to get them out of there, somehow….'

**SG-1: SVU**

Once the plan had been worked out between the SG teams over the radio, O'Neill led SG-1, along with Olivia and Liandra, down the corridor towards the ring transporter. Luanda remained behind with her father and a large force of well-armed Kelori warriors who held the slave quarters. They also left Nacre behind in the slave quarters, and Olivia was pleased to see Sartor had put the Royal Physician to work helping as many of the sick and ailing slaves as he could.

When they arrived at the ring transporter, Olivia was disappointed. She didn't know what she had expected, but it looked just like any other corridor junction in this vast ship. Thankfully, there weren't that many Jaffa guarding it--just three, and they were easily subdued by SG-1.

Once the Jaffa were out of the way, Teal'c went over to a control panel on the wall while O'Neill, Sam, Daniel, and Liandra took up positions within a semi-circle pattern on the floor.

Sam gestured at Olivia. "Come here, Liv. Stand next to me."

"What's going on?" Olivia said, as she came over and stood next to Sam. "Where's the ring transporter?"

"You're standing on it," O'Neill told her. "First time on one of these things? You're gonna love it."

Teal'c came over and joined them. "I have programmed it to take us all the way down to the complex beneath the ship."

"Going down," O'Neill muttered, sounding like an elevator operator.

"Whoa!" Olivia cried, startled, when a series of massive metal rings rose up from the floor, encircling them. She anxiously clutched Sam's arm. "What's wrong?"

"Relax, Liv," Sam assured her, smiling. "It's normal."

"Beam me up, Scotty," Olivia nervously murmured, as everything around her disappeared in a blinding white glow.

When the glow subsided, Olivia saw that the area outside of the rings had changed. Instead of the black and gold walls of the ship, they now stood in the metallic gold hallways of what must be the base below.

Yet before she could revel in having been "beamed" for the first time in her life, Olivia glanced over her shoulder and was stunned to see Mo'at standing before her, with a large group of heavily-armed Jaffa right behind him.

"Kel mal tak Tauri!" Mo'at commanded, as he pointed at them.

"TAKE COVER!" O'Neill shouted, as he opened fire with his P90.

Several Jaffa, who had been equally stunned to see them "ring" down before them, jerked back as sparks from bullets hitting their armor erupted on their chest. They fell back into their comrades before they could draw their staff weapons--which gave Olivia, Sam and Liandra plenty of time to duck into an alcove just before a massive onslaught of staff weapon fire erupted in the hallway.

A still-stunned Olivia looked over and saw Sam had returned fire with her P90, as did Liandra with her zat.

'Hey, I should do the same!' she thought, as she brought up her own zat and started firing back. Olivia saw that O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c were in an alcove on the opposite side of them. 'Jeez, not only did we run into an ambush, but we're cut off from each other again!'

"Talk about rotten luck!" Olivia said to Sam. "Are days like this normal for you guys?"

"All the time, Liv," Sam dourly replied, as she quickly reloaded her P90 and started firing again. "All the time…."

**To Be continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

_I would like to thank **SVU Chicky, phantomliberty, Barbarossa Rotbart, Mia66, Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl, James Axelrad** and **piecesofyourheart **for their kind words of encouragement. _

_As O'Neill might say, "Much appreciated, kids!" __Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter. _

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Nine**

'This sucks….' Olivia thought, as she just barely ducked from a shot by a Jaffa warrior. She shot back with her zat, only to see her would-be shooter duck for cover as well.

"How many of these guys do they have down here?" she asked Sam. "It seems like more pop up as soon as we shoot them down!"

"Looks like Neith decided to reinforce the base," Sam told her. She paused in shooting long enough to key the radio on her shoulder. "Sir, we're at an impasse here. We can't get back to you."

"You've got a way out over there, Carter," O'Neill responded over the radio. "See if you can't get to the doors and get SG-3 in here! We'll keep these boys busy."

Sam glanced about the alcove that she, Olivia and Liandra were in and saw a doorway behind them. "Liandra, where does that lead to?"

Liandra stared at the doorway, then gave a shrug. "I do not know. We are no longer aboard the ship, and I have never been here before."

'Great, even our guide is now lost,' Olivia grimly thought. She gazed across the hallway at O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c--they were so tantalizingly close--and saw the alcove that the boys were in was a dead end.

"We don't have much choice, Sam," Olivia said.

"Ain't that always the case," Sam muttered thoughtfully. Then she let out a heavy sigh and added, "All right, let's see where this doorway leads to."

"With our luck, it'll probably lead to the pit where Neith keeps her Rancor monster!" Olivia morosely said, as she followed Sam through the doorway, with Liandra close behind her. "You know, that big beastie Luke fought in the dungeon in Star Wars? What version was that, anyway? The Empire Strikes Back?"

"It's Return Of The Jedi," Sam told her, sotto voce, as they ran down a corridor. "Teal'c is a _huge_ fan of those movies."

"Teal'c loves Star Wars?" Olivia whispered, stunned. "Wow, that's so cool."

They paused, pressed up against the wall, when they arrived at a junction, which--after a quick visual check by Sam--turned out to be clear of enemy troops.

"Not if you have to watch them over and over," Sam wearily replied. "That's usually Teal'c's choice every time it's his turn to choose on movie nights. Hey, if you come to the next one, Liv, maybe you can suggest a cop movie."

"I hate cop movies, they never get it right," Olivia muttered.

"That's how I feel about most sci-fi movies," Sam replied. She did a double take when she glanced down the corridor. "There's a bright light down this way. I think we may have found the main cargo doors that lead to the outside that SG-3 said they saw. Come on."

"Pardon me," Liandra said. "May I ask a question?"

"Sure," Sam replied.

"What's up?" Olivia asked.

"What exactly is a _movie_?" Liandra asked, looking puzzled.

**SG-1: SVU**

"SG-1!" a voice called from down the corridor, as the shooting abruptly stopped. "You have no way out of here. Surrender yourselves, and Her Lord Empress Neith shall grant you mercy!"

O'Neill peered around the corner of the alcove as much as he dared. "Is that you, Moby?"

There was a pause, then a voice angrily called: "_My name is Mo'at_!"

"Yeah, right, whatever…listen, we couldn't hear what you just said," O'Neill called back. He carefully aimed his P90 down the corridor in the general direction where he figured Mo'at would be and added, "So why don't you step on out and repeat what you've just told us. Ok, Mo'at, buddy?"

The response came in the resumption of staff weapon fire from down the hallway, which caused O'Neill to take cover around the corner once more.

Daniel grinned as he shook his head at O'Neill. "Did you really expect Mo'at to make himself a target for you that easily?"

O'Neill shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

They were both startled when a Jaffa shock grenade rolled on the floor in front of them, until Teal'c stepped forward and--swatting it with the end of his staff weapon--simply batted it back down the corridor, where it exploded in front of the very same Jaffa who'd sent it down.

"Good form, T!" O'Neill said, as he shot down the group of hapless Jaffa who, affected by their own grenade, all staggered blindly out into the corridor. "We've really got to hit the links when we get back."

"_If_ we get back," Daniel corrected, as he joined in on the shooting. "There's still some uncertainty about that, Jack."

"There you go again, being pessimistic," O'Neill chided. "Have you no faith in Carter? Speaking of whom--" He ceased shooting long enough to key his radio. "Carter, come in…."

**SG-1: SVU**

"Here, sir," Sam said, as she paused to respond to her radio. "We've found doors leading to the outside, right where SG-3 is positioned, and have just placed C4 on them now."

"You run into any trouble?" O'Neill asked.

"None," Sam replied. She hesitated when she heard gunfire in the background of his call. "Although it sounds like you're pretty busy, sir."

"Oh, nothing we can't handle," O'Neill casually replied. There was a pause on his end as Sam heard more gunfire. Then O'Neill added, "That was sarcasm, Carter! We'd _really_ appreciate it if you'd hurry things along!"

"Blowing the door now, sir," Sam told him. Double-checking to make sure the C4 was properly placed on the massive cargo bay doors, Sam gestured for Olivia and Liandra to follow her to a hiding spot behind some massive cargo boxes that were a safe distance from the explosives.

Sam held up the remote control in her hand, turned to her comrades, and said, "Brace yourselves…."

Then Sam ducked down as she hit the button on the control.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Colonel O'Neill said they were going to send a signal when we would come in," Major Lyman whispered, as he and Colonel Drumlin hunched in the foliage across from the Goa'uld base. "Did he say what it was?"

They both ducked for cover when the main cargo bay doors blew out in a massive explosion. When they glanced up, there was now a gaping hole in the side of the Goa'uld complex.

"There's your signal Bobby," Drumlin replied, smiling. "Get everybody moving, now!"

"Go, go, go!" Lyman shouted at the rest of SG-3, who got up and started running towards the opening. "Make for the hole! Double-time!"

Lt. Satterfield fearfully pointed up at something in the sky. "Glider!"

Drumlin cursed under his breath as a death glider came swooping down at them, firing its twin staff cannons. "Everybody, keep running! Don't stop!" he ordered. "Barman, take that thing out!"

He was pleased to see Sergeant Barman had already set up the portable surface to air missile launcher on his shoulder and fired it. The missile sought out the glider and exploded, sheering one of its wings off.

Then Drumlin's smile faded when he saw the glider, now badly damaged and careening towards the ground, was headed straight for them. He frantically waved Barman--the last member of his team who was still outside--into the cargo bay.

Once he and Barman were inside the cargo bay, they both kept running as Drumlin shouted, "EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!"

**SG-1: SVU**

Sam, who had stood up from behind the pile of boxes to welcome SG-3, had a wide-eyed look of shock on her face once she saw the damaged glider pin-wheeling in for a crash landing. She dived back down for cover as the large group of Marines came up and joined her behind the boxes.

"Stay down!" Sam told Olivia and Liandra.

Sam watched from behind the boxes as the damaged glider slammed upside-down into the side of the base, collapsing the hole that she had created just moments before in an avalanche of debris. And then part of the forward ceiling, which was no longer held up by the collapsed wall, caved in as well. Sam was afraid the entire structure they were in would collapse, but the damage appeared to end there. The only problem was their escape route had now been permanently sealed off.

Colonel Drumlin glanced around at the crowd of people who had taken cover with him, along with Sam, Olivia and Liandra behind the boxes. "Everybody all right?" he asked.

His entire squad all gave him the 'thumbs up' sign. Drumlin did a double take when he saw Olivia and Liandra in their scant outfits.

"We're all fine, sir," Carter told him. "It's great to see you."

"Great seeing you, as well, Major Carter," Drumlin replied, as they all stood. He grimaced at the extensive damage the downed glider had caused. "Unfortunately, it looks like we've just blocked off the only way out of here."

"Carter!" O'Neill's voice urgently said over the radio. "Carter, come in! Are you all right?"

"Yes sir, we're fine," Sam replied into her radio. "We're with SG-3 inside the complex now."

"How much C4 did you use, Carter?!" O'Neill exclaimed. "Jeez, it felt like you took down the whole complex! I think you even scared the Jaffa, here!"

Sam slowly shook her head with a long-suffering, weary expression on her face. "Um, sir, that wasn't--"

"That's all right, Major," Drumlin, smiling, told her. "I've got this." He keyed his radio and said, "Jack, that really big boom you heard was courtesy of the United States Marine Corps. We shot down a death glider, which in turn crashed into the complex."

There was a pause, then O'Neill muttered, "You Marines never do anything small, do ya?"

"Hey, we either go big or we stay home," Drumlin cheerfully shot back.

"We'll have to find another way to you, sir," Sam added, as she glanced around them. "The structural damage has cut off access to the original route we took to get in here."

"The Jaffa assault on us has stalled, probably thanks to the explosion," O'Neill reported. "They're no doubt wondering what the hell that was. So, wherever you wind up going, you should expect to run into some enemy troops out scouting around."

"Got it, Jack, thanks," Drumlin said. "See you shortly."

Major Lyman pointed at a massive cargo door at the far end of the space they were in. "That looks like the best route to take out of here, sir."

"Take Stevens with you and see if you can't open it without using any explosives," Drumlin ordered. "I don't want to announce our presence to the Goa'uld anymore than we already have."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Sam was startled when one of the Marines--a particulary short one--came up to her and said, "Hey, Sam."

She was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't a Marine at all who addressed her, but Janet Fraiser. Janet's petite frame appeared to have been buried by the helmet and bulky body armor that she wore.

"Janet!" Sam joyously said, as they hugged briefly.

"You all right?" Janet asked, concerned.

"I'm good," Sam replied. She was further surprised to see Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield come up to her. The young women each gave Sam a crisp salute at the same time. Grinning, Sam returned their salute.

"It's very good to see you are well, ma'am," Hailey said, with a slight smile.

"And I'm pleased to see that you're all right, Lt. Hailey," Sam told her, sounding pleased. "You, too, Lt. Satterfield. How's Sgt. Cullman?"

"He's been shot in the leg, but he'll be fine," Satterfield replied. "Um, ma'am, did you see what they did with…Colonel Melham's body? We didn't see it when we came through the stargate earlier."

"No, I'm sorry, Lieutenant," Sam said sadly. "We were captured shortly after you went back through."

"We'll find Buddy Melham," Colonel Drumlin assured the lieutenants, "and we'll bring him back home for a proper burial."

After a moment of silence, Sam turned to Janet and asked, "What are you doing on this side of the gate, anyway?"

"What, I can't make a house call if I so choose?" Janet jokingly said. Then, growing serious, she added, "I volunteered, in case the team needed a medic. Also, General Hammond thought it best to have me on the scene in case we should come across any of the Disappeared. There's been a large group of people who have been mysteriously abducted back on Earth."

"Neith _is_ behind the disappearances," Sam confirmed. "They're all here, in this complex under the mothership, kept in stasis."

Drumlin nodded. "Just as General Hammond suspected."

Sam gestured at Olivia. "This is Olivia Benson. She's a detective with the NYPD. We awakened Olivia from her stasis tube quite by accident while we examined a control room--and it's a good thing, too, because Liv here saved my life. I was a prisoner of Nacre, a scientist under the command of Neith, who was about to vivisect me. But Olivia prevented that and rescued me single-handedly."

Janet, Hailey, Satterfield and the Marines all stared at Olivia with renewed respect and admiration. And Sam was struck at how uncomfortable Olivia appeared under their attention. She thought it charming how Olivia's face had turned a bright, beet red from embarrassment.

"I always knew the NYPD were tough SOBs," Drumlin commented, "but damn, Detective Benson…you're probably the toughest of that bunch."

"Um, it was nothing, really…." Olivia uneasily said.

"Nothing?!" Sam exclaimed. "Liv, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be standing here!"

Janet walked up to Olivia and shook her hand. "I'm Janet Fraiser. On behalf of my daughter, Cassie, and myself, I'd like to thank you for saving Sam for us, Olivia."

"It was my extreme pleasure," Olivia shyly replied. She glanced over at Sam with an affectionate smile. "She's more than worth the effort."

"Yes, she is at that," Janet readily agreed. "Isn't she?"

Now it was Sam's turn to blush with embarrassment. She was grateful when Colonel Drumlin glanced at Liandra and asked, "And who is this, Major Carter?"

"This is Liandra, sir," Sam replied. "She's a native of this planet who's also been a big help to us."

Sam was startled at the low rumbling sound that had abruptly started up--until she saw the cargo bay door at the far end had finally been opened by Lieutenant Stevens and Major Lyman via a control panel.

Drumlin ordered them all to form up, and lock and load. The Colonel specifically asked Sam, Olivia and Liandra to remain by his side, which they did. Lyman and Stevens were the first to step through the open doorway, and they did so cautiously, with their weapons drawn. Both men were stunned at the sight before them.

"Colonel," Lyman shouted, "you really need to see this, sir!"

Sam and Janet ran out with Drumlin, who let out a low, stunned whistle. There were several hundred people who were all contained in stasis chambers that lined both walls of this corridor.

"Oh, dear god…." Janet muttered, shaking her head.

"Looks like we found the Disappeared," Hailey solemnly muttered.

Janet walked up to one of the frozen people, a man, and carefully examined the controls on his stasis tube. "According to this, he's perfectly preserved." She checked several other tubes. "They all are."

"They're still alive?" Drumlin asked.

"Yes sir," Janet replied. "They've all been placed in suspended animation."

"Detective Benson?" Satterfield suddenly asked. "What's wrong?"

Sam glanced at Olivia and saw that she stared at one of the stasis tubes with a horrified expression on her face. "Hey, Liv, what's the matter?"

Yet Olivia ignored her. Instead, she continued to stare at a pretty young woman who slept in one of the stasis tubes. Running up to the tube, Olivia pounded on the glass and cried, "CASEY!"

**SG-1: SVU**

When the ring transporter deposited them on the level of the slave quarters, Slaar gestured to the Jaffa under his command to fan out, with their staff weapons at the ready.

Slaar was a warrior who had been trained by Mo'at himself. The First Prime saw command potential in his protégé, and he'd told Slaar that he had even mentioned this to Her Lord Empress Neith. And so when all communication with the Jaffa patrolling the slave quarters was mysteriously lost, Slaar was only too happy to take command of the team that was sent to investigate. It was a chance for the young Jaffa to prove himself in battle to Her Lord Empress, and he did not intend to let her, or Mo'at, down.

As they strode down the corridor, towards the doorway leading to the slave quarters, Slaar heard a strange slicing sound that cut through the air. When the Jaffa next to him abruptly began to gurgle up blood, Slaar saw why: the man had been shot through the neck with an arrow. He fell to the floor, dead.

There was a loud, riotous roar as several dozen Kelori warriors all came running out in a mad dash from the slave quarters to meet them. All of the Kelori warriors were fully armed with spears, bow and arrows, and crossbows.

Slaar, his mind racing in a panic, ordered his Jaffa to start shooting. They managed to hit several of the Kelori--but there were just too many of them, and despite the fact that several of their brothers had fallen, they kept charging towards the Jaffa in a wild bloodlust, all screaming at the top of their lungs. Which left Slaar no choice but to give the one order he'd never hoped to give.

"RETREAT!" he cried.

He and his cadre of Jaffa began running down the corridor, with the Kelori warriors never letting up in their mad pursuit right behind them.

When they reached a doorway, one Slaar's men managed to get the door shut, but not before several more of his comrades were shot with arrows. Slaar took a wary step back as a heavy, unrelenting pounding began on the door. He could still hear the muffled war cries of the Kelori even through the thick door.

Slaar didn't know what was worse, the fact that they now had an open slave revolt to deal with…or the fact that _he_ would be the one who would have to personally report this dire situation to Her Lord Empress Neith.

**SG-1: SVU**

"What was it?" Neith demanded. "What was that explosion?!"

"One of the death gliders," her lead peltac officer replied. "It crashed into the base beneath the Ha'tak, my Lord Empress."

"Was it shot down?"

"The other death glider pilot said it was, my Lord Empress. He reported what appeared to be a small missile come up from the ground and shoot off the wing of the glider. It then lost control and crashed into the base."

Neith slowly sat down in her command chair. 'This battle is beginning to slip away from me,' she thought. 'The second team that Hammond sent may well be inside the base by now.'

She contacted the commander of the ground forces who were hunting for the second Tauri team in the surrounding woods. She ordered him to bring his forces to the complex beneath the base and allow Mo'at to take command. Once that order of business was done, she called her First Prime.

"Mo'at," she said into her communicator, "report."

"SG-1 is very well dug in, my Lord Empress," he replied. "But we have them surrounded."

"The explosion you heard was a death glider having been shot out of the sky. It crashed into the complex beneath the Ha'tak. The second team may have penetrated the base, Mo'at. I am sending you the ground force--"

Neith stopped when her peltac leader glanced up from his console with a shocked expression on his face.

"What is it?" she commanded. "Speak up, man!"

"My Lord Empress, the glider crashed into the main cargo doors of the complex," he reported. "Our troops can not gain access through that way."

'Oh, this was turning out to be a very trying day,' Neith thought, shaking her head. "Very well. Have the troops come up onto the ridge and enter the Ha'tak itself. They can 'ring' down to the complex and join up with Mo'at's forces. Understand?"

The problem was that it would now take more time for the reinforcements to get to Mo'at. Yet her First Prime should easily contain the situation before--

Neith's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a Jaffa who had appeared on the peltac. He bowed before her with his fists crossed in front of his face, as if hiding his shame from her. He looked familiar.

"My Lord Empress," he humbly said.

'What was his name? Slur? Slor…no, Slaar!' Neith realized. 'Mo'at's protégé.' She nodded at him. "Yes, Slaar. What news have you of the slave quarters?"

For a moment, it almost looked as if Slaar would burst into tears. "Um, my Lord Empress, the-the slave quarters has been overrun…by the slaves…."

'Oh, this was turning out to be a very bad day indeed,' Neith wearily thought as she rubbed her eyes. "Commander?"

"Yes, my Lord Empress?" the peltac leader said.

"Prepare to gas the slave quarters," Neith ordered. 'The nerve gas should stifle these animals before they escape,' she thought with satisfaction.

"The-the slaves have moved out of the slave quarters," Slaar added. "T-They're fully armed, and now control the whole level of the ship where the slave quarters is located."

Neith just stared heavenward and wondered what she did to deserve this. With the slaves having now overrun the entire deck, the nerve gas was no longer an option.

"I am very sorry, my Lord Empress," Slaar anxiously said. "I did not wish to be such a disappointment to you!"

Neith stared at him and said, "You shall not have to worry, Slaar. For you shall never be a disappointment to anyone ever again."

Slaar, not quite comprehending what she truly meant, smiled hopefully. "Really?"

"Oh yes," Neith replied, as she aimed her ribbon device point blank at him. The blast shot Slaar halfway across the peltac, and several technicians had to scatter out of the way where his body landed. It was still twitching violently, which Neith hated to see; she preferred it when someone died abruptly, cleanly, especially on her peltac.

She walked over to the still-twitching Slaar and blasted him one final time, and he was still for the ages.

'If that's the best that Mo'at can do,' Neith mused, as she stared at Slaar's charred remains, 'then I may have to find another First Prime soon….'

"Commander…."

The commander of the peltac gave Neith a horrified look, as if expecting to be her next victim. "Uh, yes, my Lord Empress?"

"I want Mo'at up here, now," she growled.

The commander, looking visibly relieved at not having been killed, bowed and quickly did her bidding.

**SG-1: SVU**

'There!' Teal'c thought, once he sighted Mo'at. The First Prime to Neith, and the man who had personally tortured Teal'c in the prison level, had briefly walked past the corridor junction that was held by the Jaffa. And then Teal'c watched with interest as the Jaffa who guarded the junction abruptly fell back, joining their First Prime.

"O'Neill," Teal'c called in a whisper.

"Yeah, I see it," O'Neill said. "They're falling back."

Teal'c flinched when he heard the ring transporter start up in the distance. If Mo'at was presently on the ring transporter platform, then there would be no better chance for Teal'c to take his revenge than now.

Teal'c sprung forward and raced down the corridor, his staff weapon at the ready. He thought he faintly heard O'Neill calling after him, but ignored it and continued forward.

When he entered the junction which contained the ring transporter, the rings had already dropped down around Mo'at and a few other Jaffa. When Teal'c ran up to them, Mo'at angrily pointed a finger at him and said, "Your time of reckoning is coming, shol'va!"

Teal'c's response was to simply stick his staff weapon in between two of the rings--aiming it right at Mo'at's chest--and press the trigger. The transporter kicked in just then, and a stunned Mo'at and his cadre of Jaffa all disintegrated into a beam of white light as they were transported upwards. Teal'c could not be certain if his staff weapon actually fired. Perhaps the energy beam was frozen in mid-transit, and would strike Mo'at once they re-materialized.

'That would be most satisfactory,' Teal'c thought.

As the rings were pulled upwards, Teal'c was annoyed to see that the end of his staff weapon had been sheered off by the transporter, rendering it useless. This became even more of a problem when a pair of Jaffa appeared behind him, aiming their staff weapons right at the now helpless Teal'c. He glowered at them, waiting for them to make their move--which, unfortunately looked like they would shoot him down in cold blood.

Then the two Jaffa suddenly jerked back as their armor sparked from being hit by a multitude of bullets. Teal'c was relieved to see the sight of both O'Neill and Daniel Jackson gunning down the Jaffa.

Once the threat was eliminated, O'Neill gave Teal'c an annoyed look. "See what happens when you get all excited and just run off on your own? You get into trouble!"

Teal'c bowed his head in sincere sorrow. "My apologies, O'Neill."

"You were gunning for Mo'at," Daniel Jackson said. "Weren't you?"

"Indeed."

"You get him?"

Teal'c shrugged. "I do not know. However," he added, holding up his damaged staff weapon, "I have destroyed this in the process."

"Need a replacement?" O'Neill asked, gesturing at the bodies of the Jaffa that were scattered around the area. "You've got your pick right here."

Teal'c looked around for a proper replacement to his staff weapon. To the untrained eye, they may all look alike, yet Teal'c knew from plenty of experience that there were still the slightest of variances between staff weapons. When he found one that felt good and snug in his grip, Teal'c nodded his approval.

"Now that you've got your shopping done, let's hook up with the others," O'Neill said.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, as he followed O'Neill and Daniel Jackson down the corridor.

**SG-1: SVU**

"She's still alive, right?" Olivia asked, as she peered with desperation into the stasis tube. Within, Casey appeared so unnaturally still and lifeless.

"Yes, she's alive, Olivia," Janet replied, as she checked the read-out on the tube. She had removed her helmet, exposing her auburn hair. "She's just like the others--in a very deep sleep."

"I take it you know her," Sam said sympathetically.

"Yeah, her name's Casey Novak," Olivia said. "I work with her on a daily basis. Technically, as the assistant district attorney, she's my boss--but Casey and I have become close friends, too. Is there any way we can free her?"

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea," Janet said, shaking her head. "In fact, I was originally about to suggest to the Colonel that we leave the Disappeared in their stasis tubes for the time being--"

"Casey's not one of the Disappeared," Olivia despondently said, placing a hand on the glass directly over Casey's sleeping face. "At least not anymore. She's right here…." She glanced at Sam with a frown. "Besides, you woke me up, didn't you?"

"Quite by accident," Sam told her. "Even if we knew what we were doing, and wanted to wake up Casey and the others, we no longer have access to the control room, thanks to the Jaffa crawling all over the place."

"So…what? We just leave them in there like this?" Olivia said, distraught.

"Just for now," Janet assured her. "We need to learn how to safely disconnect them from these stasis tubes, Olivia. And that may require us bringing them all through the stargate while still in stasis."

"It's for the best, Liv," Sam said. "And believe me, none of us are leaving this planet without them."

"Major Carter speaks for all of us, Detective Benson," Colonel Drumlin assured her. "When we leave this planet, we're all leaving together…and I mean _all_ of us."

"Nobody gets left behind," Sam firmly told Olivia. "That's the SGC's motto."

"And she's probably a lot safer in there right now than we are out here," Janet said.

"All right," Olivia said reluctantly.

"MARINES, ON OUR SIX!" Sergeant Barman yelled, pulling out his weapon.

Olivia spun around to see the frightening sight of several Jaffa warriors who abruptly appeared in the corridor behind them. They all held up their staff weapons right at her and were about to fire.

Olivia dived to the ground--as did Sam, Liandra and Janet next to her. Sam lay on the ground just long enough to get her weapon ready, then she got up into a kneeling position and opened fire with her P90, joining in on the vicious firefight that erupted all around them.

Olivia, who was still spread out flat on the floor, tried to help Sam by aiming her zat at one of the attacking Jaffa--yet the man had already been shot down by one of the Marines before she could fire. When Olivia raised her arm in an attempt to shoot another Jaffa, Janet reached over and pulled her back down against the ground.

"Just stay down," she told Olivia. When a control panel on the wall exploded above her, Janet flinched and covered her head with her head. "Trust me, Olivia, you'll want to stay down until it's over!"

"I'll bet you're now sorry you took your helmet off, huh?" Olivia jokingly said to her.

"You want to wear it?" Janet asked, completely serious, as she reached for the helmet that was attached to her belt. "Here…."

"No, no, that's all right," Olivia told her.

"You sure?" Janet asked. "If it'll make you feel more comfortable to wear it, then go right ahead, Olivia."

"No, thank you, really," Olivia said. 'Wow!' she thought, impressed with the woman's courage and compassion--even while under fire, like they were now. "And, Janet, please call me Liv, ok?"

"Liv it is," she said with a slight smile. When the gunfire abruptly subsided, Janet glanced up and asked, "Are we all clear? Anybody hit?"

The young woman whom Sam referred to as Hailey, who appeared to be even shorter than Janet was, poked her head out from behind a wall. "Yeah. Looks like we got them all." Then her eyes grew wide with alarm. "Whoa! Barman, on your two o'clock!"

Barman opened fire on a downed Jaffa who had tried to get off one more shot with his staff weapon. The Sergeant got him, but not before the Jaffa managed to shoot--sending an energy bolt right into one of the stasis tubes, which began to spark and crackle wildly from the damage.

Olivia's eyes grew wide with horror when she saw that it had been Casey's tube which was hit by the staff blast.

"CASEY!" she cried, getting to her feet.

Yet Olivia was tackled back down to the ground. She glanced up and saw it was Janet and Liandra who held her down. "Wait," Janet grimly told her. "It's not clear, yet."

Olivia despairingly reached out to the prone Casey, whose stasis tube now glittered with little flames that sprouted up all around its control panel.

"Hey, are we clear, or what?!" Janet impatiently yelled at the Marines. "I got somebody who needs my help over here!"

"We've got people coming down the hall," Sam called to her. She stood with Hailey, Satterfield and the Marines as they all aimed their weapons at the approaching sound of footsteps.

Then Sam looked startled when her radio squawked. "Carter, it's just us," O'Neill's voice said. "Hold your fire!"

"It's SG-1!" Sam announced to the group.

The Marines lowered their weapons as O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c came briskly down the corridor.

Janet and Liandra finally released Olivia, who ran up to the damaged stasis tube that imprisoned her friend. She watched helplessly as the still-sleeping Casey now began to cough violently as clouds of noxious-looking fumes began to rise up all around her behind the glass.

**To Be Continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

_I'd like to thank Phantomliberty, James Axelrad, piecesofyourheart, Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl, and SVU Chicky for their continued support. _

_Hope everybody enjoys the new chapter._

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Ten**

"Get her out of there!" Olivia cried. She watched in horror as a still-sleeping Casey Novak struggled to breathe in the narrow confines of the smoke-filled stasis tube.

"The controls won't respond," Sam said, examining the panel on the wall next to where Casey fought to stay alive. "The damage from the staff weapon must have fried the circuits."

"So what'll we do?" O'Neill asked her.

"Break the glass!" Olivia frantically told them.

Sam just nodded in agreement. "No other way, sir…otherwise, she'll suffocate."

Olivia backed off as O'Neill brought up the butt of his P90 to smash against the glass--but he stopped when Teal'c urgently called his name.

Teal'c came up to the stasis tube, his staff weapon firmly gripped in both hands. Teal'c smashed a portion of the glass with the butt-end of his staff weapon. He was careful to only smash the section of the glass that was over Casey's torso, which kept any shards away from her face. When he cleared out a large enough hole in the glass, Teal'c gave his staff weapon to O'Neill to hold. Teal'c then reached into the smoky stasis tube and carefully pulled the prone Casey out in his arms.

"Just put her down here," Janet told Teal'c, "on the floor."

Teal'c placed the still coughing Casey on the floor, where Janet grabbed her wrist and checked her pulse. Olivia bent down on the other side of Casey and took her free hand in her own. "Casey? You all right, hon?"

Casey opened her eyes for the first time just then. She stared incredulously at Olivia as she struggled to say something--yet was racked with a series of coughs instead. Casey must have been spending a quiet night at home when Neith's Jaffa abducted her, for she was barefoot, wearing a pair of casually worn jeans with a softball jersey that read 'sex crimes' across the front.

"L-Liv?" Casey croaked, in-between coughs.

"No, don't try to talk just yet," Janet told her, as she helped Casey to sit up. She handed Casey her canteen of water. "Here, drink some of this."

Casey gladly accepted the water and greedily drank some down. While she did this, Janet quickly checked her pupil dilation with a flashlight.

"How do you feel?" Olivia asked.

"O-Ok, I-I think," Casey replied, her voice sounding somewhat normal. She gave Olivia a puzzled frown. "Uh, why are you dressed in that get up? You working undercover in a sex fetish place again? As what--a genie this time?"

Olivia couldn't help but burst into a broad smile. She glanced at Janet and said, "Yeah, she's fine…."

Fraiser just gave Olivia a bemused look. "You sound like you've got a really interesting job, Liv!"

Olivia shrugged easily. "It's a living…."

As Casey glanced all around her, she became even more alarmed. "Olivia, what the hell is going on? I-I'm not in my apartment anymore, am I?"

"No, you're not, Casey," Olivia said gently. "Um, I guess it's safe to say that you're not in Kansas, anymore, Dorothy."

"Thank you," Casey said, as she gratefully accepted Janet's help in standing up.

"You're welcome," Janet said. "How are you feeling, Casey? Any dizziness?"

"I've got a scratchy throat," Casey replied, touching her neck. "But that's it."

"Probably just from the smoke," Janet assured her. She nodded at Olivia and then at O'Neill. "She's going to be fine."

Casey stared in puzzlement at all of the heavily armed people who surrounded her and said, "Olivia, why's the Army here?"

"Actually, ma'am, we're not Army," Colonel Drumlin cheerfully said. "We're the United States Marine Corps."

"Speak for yourself!" O'Neill angrily told him. Turning to Casey, he said, "I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill, United States Air Force." Gesturing to Janet, he added, "That's Major Janet Fraiser, she's a doctor. Over here is Major Samantha Carter; they're also U.S. Air Force--"

"I guess we're, uh, telling her everything too, huh, Jack?" Daniel asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Yes, Daniel, we're telling her everything," O'Neill replied, shaking his head. Turning to Casey, he continued with the introductions: "The big guy who pulled you out of the tube is Teal'c. And this really annoying guy right here is Dr. Daniel Jackson."

"Hey!" Daniel said, now looking annoyed.

"Gene, we've got people upstairs in the mothership," O'Neill said to Drumlin, ignoring Daniel. "They're Kelori, native to the planet, and they're holding the slave quarters. We need to extract them, ASAP."

"Any fast way of getting up to them?" Drumlin asked.

O'Neill nodded. "The rings."

Drumlin's eyes narrowed in distaste. "I'm not crazy about using the rings. The idea of materializing in front of enemy troops isn't a happy one for me."

"The ring transporter is the only way up and down from the ship, sir," Sam told him. "The complex is cut off from the ship, otherwise."

"If you're afraid, Gene, my people and I can go first," O'Neill teased. "As usual, SG-1 will lead the way…."

"Oh, _please_…." Drumlin muttered with disgust. "Just show me where the rings are located, Jack."

"Wait a minute," Casey cried, as she clutched Olivia's arm. "What the hell is going on, here, Liv?! What happened?! Where _are_ we?!"

Olivia gently grabbed her friend by the shoulders and said, "You and I have been abducted by aliens who are under the rule of another alien who's pretending to be an ancient Egyptian goddess named Neith."

"Um, actually, she really _is_ Neith," Daniel corrected. "I mean, technically speaking, she _was_ worshipped as the Goddess Of All back in the First Dynasty."

"Got it," Olivia replied with a nod. She glanced back at Casey and said, "You and I have been kidnapped by Neith, the _actual_ Egyptian goddess of warfare, and of the hunt. And right now, sweetie, we're on another planet, and these wonderful people--both SG-1 and the Marines--have come to rescue us. Ok?"

"Oh, yeah, _sure!_" Casey started laughing uproariously--until a glance at all the serious and deadpan faces that stared back at her quickly quieted her laughter.

"Oh my God," Casey said quietly to Olivia, "you're really serious, aren't you?"

"I'm afraid so, honey," she said with a sheepish look.

"Liv," O'Neill prompted, "we have to get going."

"Right." Olivia took the frightened Casey's hand firmly in her own and said, "No matter what happens, just stay by me, all right?"

"And the both of you stay with us," O'Neill said, gesturing at himself and the rest of SG-1. "At all times."

As she and Olivia went with SG-1 and the Marines down the corridor, Casey nervously gazed at the slumbering people all around her "Who are all these people in the walls?"

"They've been abducted, just like us," Olivia told her.

"For experiments?"

"No. By abducting them from earth, Neith is trying to start an interstellar war."

"Between the aliens?" Casey asked, looking amazed.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. Earth is protected from alien invasion by another group of aliens known as the Asgard."

Casey, looking dumbfounded, grew silent as they arrived at the junction where the ring transporter was located. Both O'Neill and Drumlin decided it would be best to send up a smaller scout party, first. Several Marines under the command of Major Lyman took up transport position in the center of the ring platform. Teal'c joined them.

Olivia admired how calmly Casey was taking all of this in. "You're really getting the hang of this whole situation, Case."

"No, I'm not!" Casey said, sounding irritated. "I still don't get any of this at all, Liv. I'm still not completely convinced that any of this is real. I keep hoping I'm going to wake up at any minute."

"Well, what you're going to see now is probably going to freak you out," Olivia muttered, as the ring transporter flashed to life.

Casey let out a startled yelp as the rings rose up from the floor, surrounding Teal'c and the Marines. Then they all evaporated into a white light that shot upwards, along with the rings themselves.

"What happened to them?" Casey hysterically cried. "Did they just die?!"

"They were transported," Olivia assured her. "You know, like on Star Trek?"

"No, I don't know…." Casey ran over to the wall and knelt down in despair. "I just want to go home!"

"These people are taking us home, Casey," Olivia told her.

But when Janet and Sam also came over to offer support, Casey fearfully cowered from them. "I don't _know_ any of these people," she whispered. "And I don't trust them, Liv."

"But you know me, don't you?" Olivia asked.

"Of course," Casey said.

"Then trust _me_, Case," Olivia told her. She held her hand out to Casey. "Just keep it together--like I know you can--and come with me. C'mon."

Casey took her hand and allowed Olivia to lead her over to the ring transporter, where she watched another group of Marines "ring" up to the Mothership. "Are we going on this thing?" Casey nervously asked.

"Yes, and it's perfectly safe," Olivia assured her. "I went on it before. Right, Sam?"

"Yep," Sam confidently replied. "And I've been on it countless times."

"Let's all go up together," O'Neill suggested. "Liandra, you come too."

"Sounds good to me, sir," Sam replied.

Daniel nodded. "I'm game."

"Great idea," Janet said as she stepped onto the platform with them. "Colonel, Daniel, I didn't have a chance to say this before: it's good to see you're all right."

"Thanks, Fraiser," O'Neill said. "Is Cassie worried about us?"

"She's a nervous wreck, sir," Janet replied with a smile.

"Um, is it ok for us to hold hands during the transport?" Olivia asked Sam.

Sam nodded. "Go ahead. It won't adversely affect anything."

"Oh God…." Casey moaned, as the set of rings surrounded them. She gripped Olivia's hand so tightly that it hurt.

"Hey, close your eyes," Olivia told her. "I'll tell you when it's over."

Just as Casey shut her eyes, the transporter kicked in, and everything disappeared in a blinding white glow.

Before Olivia realized it, her vision returned back to normal as the set of rings dropped into the floor around them. They were now back aboard the mothership. Teal'c stood with Sartor, Marten and a few of the Marines. Once the group materialized on the platform, Teal'c bowed his head at them in greeting.

"When's it gonna start?" Casey anxiously asked, her eyes still closed and hands tightly clutching Olivia's own.

"It's done," Olivia told her. "You can relax now."

Casey opened her eyes and glanced around them in shock.

"C'mon," Olivia told Casey, with a gentle tug on her shoulder, "we need to get off the platform so the others can come up."

"Only your second time on this thing and already you're a pro, Liv," O'Neill told her with admiration. When he saw Teal'c, he said, "What's the word, T?"

"Marten and the other Kelori warriors have engaged the Jaffa in combat," Teal'c reported. "Although they suffered losses, the Kelori were victorious, and we now control this entire deck."

"Way to go, kids!" O'Neill said to Sartor and Marten, shaking their hands. holding out his hand. "Outstanding!"

Marten grinned broadly as he shook O'Neill's hand. "Thank you, O'Neill."

Yet Sartor looked worried. "I do not know how long we can hold this ground."

"Yeah, I can't imagine Neith letting something like this stand for long," Daniel said.

"Which is why we've got to work fast," O'Neill said. "Sartor, we need to get all of the captured Kelori down to the base via the ring transporter. You think you can start gathering the women and children from the slave quarters? We'll send them down, first."

Sartor nodded. "Very well."

"I shall aid you," Liandra told him, as they both headed for the slave quarters.

O'Neill contacted Drumlin on the radio to coordinate the evacuation, while Sam led Janet to the slave quarters so she could see to the needs of the sick and injured. Teal'c came over to Olivia and Casey. He nodded, with a slight smile on his face, and said, "It is good to see you are well, Casey Novak."

"Thank you," Casey said with a shy smile--although she never let go of Olivia's hand. She stared thoughtfully at the tattoo on his forehead and asked, "Is that a gang tat?"

"It is a symbol of my former service as First Prime to the false god Apophis," Teal'c politely replied.

"Oh." Casey gave Olivia a helpless look that indicated she had no idea what Teal'c just said.

Olivia tried to explain, as best she could, the situation concerning humans from earth who had been scattered throughout the galaxy, thanks to the Goa'uld. She was grateful when Teal'c helped fill in the blanks--and eventually, even Daniel came over and once more recited the basic history lesson that he gave Olivia in the Kelori caves.

'God, that seems such a long time ago, now,' Olivia mused, thinking about the Kelori cave, as she listened to Daniel speak. Gazing at his handsome features, she abruptly had another thought: 'Hey, he's kind of cute….'

**SG-1: SVU**

Mo'at was still fuming as he entered Her Lord Empress Neith's private quarters. Teal'c had tried to kill him just now--and very nearly succeeded--had it not been for the ring transporter slicing off the tip of his staff weapon at just the right moment. When they had rematerialized, the business end of Teal'c's staff weapon had fallen to the floor in front of Mo'at's feet.

'The very nerve of that hasshak,' Mo'at angrily thought, 'to even _think_ that he could ever kill me!'

Still, Mo'at shall deal with that stinking shol'va all in good time. Right now, he had an audience with his beloved ruler.

Neith sat on her throne in the private quarters looking very thoughtful and pensive. Mo'at gave the customary bow, with his arms crossed in front of him. "You summoned me, my Lord Empress?"  
"Yes, Mo'at," she said softly. "We are losing."

Mo'at's eyes grew wide with shock. He was so stunned at what she said that he was literally at a loss for words.

"I have contacted the ship we have monitoring Earth, and have been told there is no movement whatsoever on that front," Neith informed him. "The Asgard--if they had been contacted by the SGC--should have arrived by now. I believe our plan to trick them into a war with the system lords has failed."

Neith stood up, and gestured for Mo'at to do the same. They both slowly walked side by side over to the wall of trophy heads. "The lack of an Asgard presence over Earth, along with the ferocity of Hammond's attack on us just now, has only convinced me that something went wrong with our plan. I feel it is time to change tactics."

"Of course, my Lord Empress," Mo'at said, still stunned. "What shall we do now?"

"The Netian Empire must now launch a full-scale, all out assault on all our enemies in this sector," Neith grimly replied. "The entire Imperial Fleet shall be mustered up for this effort. We shall leave this ball of dust--but before we do so, I wish to exterminate these bothersome Kelori vermin. I want naquadah missiles loaded into all four major missile launchers. That should decimate all life on the planet's surface very nicely."

Mo'at nodded. "Yes, my Lord Empress. I must point out that the base will still survive the blast from the missiles."

"We shall simply see to it that it doesn't," she told him. "After we've wiped out all life on this pitiful little dust ball, we shall blast the base--and the humans within--from orbit. Once this is done, I shall take personal command of a legion of Jaffa and thoroughly sweep the entire ship, killing all the slaves and whatever Tauri troops may be here."

"Very good, my Lord Empress," Mo'at said with another nod. "Might I ask where will we go once we have accomplished everything?"

"We shall retire to Mount Tanis, where we will work out the logistics of our attack on this sector, as well as to retrieve the Asgard Slayer. The time for that weapon to be put to use has finally come. It would appear that the endgame has arrived much sooner than we've anticipated, Mo'at. But like the good warriors that we are, we shall be ready for it nonetheless."

"We will be ready for it only because of your skillful leadership, my Lord Empress," Mo'at said with a bow. "I shall give the orders to load the naquadah missiles, now."

"Oh, and Mo'at?" Neith said.

Mo'at stopped walking and turned back to her. "Yes, my Lord Empress?"

"I found Slaar to be quite lacking in his leadership skills," she told him. "Thanks to his buffoonery, the slaves have now taken over the entire deck that the slave quarters is located on. You would do well to choose your next protégé with the utmost care, Mo'at. For his skills, or lack thereof, also reflect on you."

A chill ran up Mo'at's spine when he recognized the not so subtle threat against him that was hidden within her words. "I swear I will, my Lord Empress."

When he left Her Lord Empress Neith's private quarters, Mo'at was practically running.

**SG-1: SVU**

When Sam re-entered the slave quarters, she was pleased to see that it was nearly empty. The evacuation was going very smoothly, thanks to the fact that they had this entire deck secured, with the enlarged SG-3 being backed up by Kelori warriors.

The only problem was the poor wretched souls in the slave stalls who were too sick, too far gone, to move. Janet had agonized over each and every case, making the extremely hard decisions to leave behind those who were practically dying to the point where they were beyond any help. There was nothing that could be done for them, other than to medicate them so they would not feel any pain in their last hours--yet that didn't make the situation any easier for Janet to handle.

Sam glanced over by the platform and saw Olivia chatting intently with Casey, and felt an emotion she'd not expected: jealousy. It was odd; Sam almost felt like a little girl who discovered that her very best friend in the world had just dumped her for a new friend. It was crazy…she was a major in the U.S. Air Force who has helped saved earth countless times, and yet Sam had to fight the impulse to run over there and pull Olivia away from Casey.

Perhaps the sight of Olivia talking to a close friend of hers from New York City was a reminder to Sam that Olivia would be leaving them soon. Assuming everything went all right, and they got home safely, Olivia would be resuming her former life as a cop with the NYPD--a thought which saddened Sam to no end. She had grown to like Liv very much--she even owned her life to Olivia--and would miss her.

"Get the hell away from me!" Janet roared.

Sam ran over to one of the stalls, where Janet was angrily shouting at Nacre, the Royal Physician. The man was simply waving his hands at her, as if warding off an impending attack from Janet.

"Don't you dare speak to me again!" Janet snarled at Nacre. "You hear me, you little bastard?!"

Glaring at Nacre, Sam gripped the trigger of her P90, which hung in front of her torso on its strap. "Get away from her," she firmly ordered him. "Now!"

"Very well," Nacre said, holding his hands up as he quickly moved away. "I want no trouble…."

"What happened?" Sam asked Janet.

"He's hanging over me, trying to give me advice on how to deal with these poor souls," Janet replied, looking offended. "Then he actually had the gall to compare himself to me! 'We're both doctors,' he tells me!"

Janet shook her head in disgust. She glared at Nacre and shouted: "I have about as much in common with you as I do with Josef Mengele, you son of a bitch!"

"Easy, Janet, take it easy," Sam soothed her. Her friend was already wound up from the grim task of performing triage on the dying in the slave stalls, and now that little creep Nacre had to go and wind her up even further. "He's not worth it."

Sam frowned at the ceiling when the lights in the slave quarters abruptly flickered--then they flickered again. O'Neill came over to where Sam and Janet stood and said, "Um, Carter, you mind seeing what mini-Carter is up to over there?"

Sam glanced at where he pointed and saw Jennifer Hailey standing with her nose deep within the power crystals that were located inside a panel on the far wall. She then glanced sharply at O'Neill and incredulously said, "Excuse me, sir. But…_mini-Carter_?"

"All right, all right," O'Neill nodded, waving his hand. "I meant go and see what your protégé, Lieutenant Hailey, is doing. Better?"

"Yes sir," Sam replied, with a heavy sigh, as she started walking over towards Hailey and Satterfield.

Sam grinned broadly when she overheard Janet say, in the same incredulous tone of voice: "Mini-Carter?"

"Well, Hailey's a lot like Carter," O'Neill defensively muttered. "Plus Hailey's really short…so, you know…mini-Carter. Right? What?!"

"Nothing, sir," Janet muttered. "Uh, pardon me…."

Sam glanced back and saw that Janet had turned her attention to the contents of her medical bag, leaving O'Neill to stand awkwardly by himself. Sam just shook her head, smiling. She loved Jack O'Neill dearly, yet there were times--like now--when he could really put his foot in his mouth.

Satterfield had exchanged her helmet for a regulation green cap. When Sam approached, she gave the Major a sheepish smile. "Uh, Jenny…." Satterfield said out of the corner of her mouth.

"I got it, Grace," Hailey said from behind the panel door, "I got it…there…."

"Got what?" Sam asked.

"Oh, Major Carter," Hailey said, stepping back from the panel. She also now wore a regulation green cap in place of her helmet. "I switched off the nerve gas, Ma'am."

Sam stared at her in amazement. "Nerve gas?!"

"Yes, Major," Hailey replied with a grin. "Lt. Satterfield noticed earlier that the air vents in the slave quarters looked larger than the standard air vent configuration in the rest of the mothership."

Sam glanced up and saw what she meant. The vents were indeed larger in size and protruded down into the slave quarters. She realized with a chill that they were developed for rapid insertion of pressurized gas--lethal gas--into the slave quarters, should a hairy situation, like a slave revolt, arise.

"I thought it best to at least check the power panel for a nerve gas control, and I found it and switched it off," Hailey added.

"Satterfield, Hailey--good catch!" Sam told them, smiling. "We never even noticed!"

"Thank you, Ma'am," Hailey replied, grinning. "There's something else that's strange about the panel. There appears to far more power crystals here than is needed. See, there's just way too many--"

Hailey was cut off when Janet let out a startled cry. Sam glanced at her friend, who stood up from her medical bag and shouted, "One of my surgical knives is missing!" Janet stabbed a finger at Nacre and added, "Somebody search him, now!"

Yet before anybody could make a move, Nacre deftly grabbed Casey from behind and held the knife at her throat.

"Olivia!" Casey cried, as she helplessly reached out for her. But the blade at her neck kept Casey from moving.

"You little bastard!" Olivia snarled, as she brought her zat up at Nacre's head.

"Shoot me, shoot us both," Nacre warned her, "and I might still slit her pretty neck before I go down."

"Stand down, Liv," O'Neill ordered, as he, Teal'c and several Marines all came over to Nacre with their guns drawn. "Back off, now! We've got him covered."

"You have nothing, Tauri," Nacre sneered. He brought his left arm up and quickly tapped something on his sleeve.

Sam was stunned to see a ring transporter start up right where Nacre and Casey, his hostage, stood.

'He's ringing out of here!' she thought, stunned.

Olivia realized the same thing, for she abruptly jumped into the circle of light that illuminated the transport area. And then Teal'c joined her, leaping in right behind Olivia just as the rings fell from the ceiling and surrounded them. The foursome disappeared in the transport flash as the set of rings flew back up into the ceiling.

"Damn it!" O'Neill yelled, as he and the Marines now gazed at an empty space before them.

Sam glanced at the power panel, and immediately realized why there were so many power crystals--half of them were still glowing from the ring transporter. She opened the panel door further and saw a flashing light, which indicated the level where they had ringed to.

'Dear God,' Sam thought, 'they're at the very top of the ship! They've got to be in Neith's private quarters!'

O'Neill ran up to her with Daniel by his side. "Carter, please tell me you've got some good news!"

"I've got good news, sir," she confidently told him, as she manipulated the controls in the power panel and started up the ring transporter once more. "Everybody who's transporting up had better get on the platform now!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"The naquadah missiles have been loaded, my Lord Empress," Mo'at reported as he entered her private quarters. "In all four main missile launchers.

"Superb, Mo'at," Neith said. "Give the order to--"

She was interrupted when the ring transporter came to life just then. Both Neith and Mo'at watched, alarmed, as the rings deposited the Royal Physician Nacre, who held a young woman up against him with a knife at her throat. There were two other people: the Tauri woman Neith recognized as Olivia Benson, and Teal'c.

The moment Teal'c laid eyes on Neith, he aimed his staff weapon right at her--yet Mo'at, who leapt from where he stood on Neith's throne platform, tackled the shol'va to the floor, knocking the weapon from his grip. Neith watched as a vicious hand to hand battle erupted between her First Prime and Teal'c.

Meanwhile, on the transport platform, Nacre made the mistake of turning towards Neith, as if to say something to her. This was a mistake because Olivia Benson used that moment of distraction on Nacre's part to leap at Nacre like a tiger, knocking both him and his hostage down.

"All the Tauri are insane," Neith muttered, shaking her head. "Perhaps it would be best to just wipe them all out after all…."

She rose from her throne and stormed over towards Olivia Benson, the ribbon device on her right hand giving off a deadly glow.

"Starting with you," Neith muttered, glaring at Olivia.

**SG-1: SVU**

Olivia pulled Casey away from Nacre's grip. Casey looked even paler than usual, but she appeared to be none worst for the wear. Olivia saw that, for his part, Nacre wanted nothing more to do with her--the Royal Physician crawled away from them like the insect that he truly was.

"Casey, you ok?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, Liv, I---OHMIGOD!" Casey abruptly screamed, fearfully pointing at something over Olivia's shoulder.

When Olivia turned to see what it was, her blood ran cold at the sight of an enraged Neith, who approached them with that weird glove of hers glowing dangerously bright. Her eyes flared unnaturally as she held the glove right at Olivia and Casey. There was no time for Olivia to bring her zat up to bear, for it appeared Neith's glove was just about to fire.

"Run!" Olivia cried, as she grabbed Casey's hand and they both ran for their lives.

Neith's weapon discharged, the energy bolt exploding on the very spot where they just stood.

"Her eyes are glowing!" Casey hysterically cried, as they ran into the adjoining room. "What the hell is she?"

"The queen bitch of the universe," Olivia replied.

They were just about to run through a doorway when the sight of a dozen armed Jaffa just outside made Olivia and Casey stop dead in their tracks. Olivia shot two Jaffa down as she ran over to the door panel control and hit the top button--she remembered it was the same button that Sam hit to close the door when they were in the medical area, and Olivia hoped the same button worked here.

She smiled broadly when she saw the massive doors slide shut on the remaining Jaffa. Olivia then shot the control panel with her zat, which fused the controls. Hopefully, that would keep--

"LIV!" Casey screamed from behind her.

Olivia turned in time to see Neith striking Casey across the face with her hand, knocking the woman to the floor. Then Neith came up and thrust the weird glove weapon right into Olivia's face.

Olivia let out a helpless cry as a beam shot out of the weapon and drilled into her head. She sagged to the floor, dropping the zat, as Olivia felt head-splitting pain the likes of which she had never experienced before in her life.

**SG1: SVU**

Mo'at reached for a knife on his belt, but Teal'c kicked it out of his hand before he could bring it to bear. Then he punched Mo'at in the face. The blow staggered the First Prime, but he recovered quickly enough to try and kick Teal'c in the stomach--which Teal'c effortlessly dodged.

Mo'at broke off from the fight long enough to retrieve a staff weapon from a row that lined the wall, which gave Teal'c pause--until he realized that it was a wooden training version of the staff weapon, used to teach hand to hand combat tactics. It could not fire.

Teal'c ducked under the swipe Mo'at gave him with the wooden staff. Then Teal'c dived onto the floor, where he rolled over to where the other training staff weapons were. He stood up and grasped one in his hands, just in time to use it to block another killing blow that an attacking Mo'at sent his way.

Both men stood there for a time, their staff weapons locked against each other, both gazing hatefully into the other's eyes.

"Prepare to die, shol'va," Mo'at said.

Teal'c noticed out of the corner of his eye that the ring transporter once more activated. He hoped it was O'Neill and the others--if it wasn't, then this fight would not last very long.

Yet no matter who it was that was 'ringing' up on the platform, Teal'c resolved to end this fight with Mo'at once and for all. Right here and now.

Teal'c then shifted his weight against his staff, which caused Mo'at to abruptly slide off to the side, until he caught himself, breaking the connection. Teal'c then swung his staff weapon like a baseball bat, until it struck Mo'at square in the face.

Mo'at, stunned, staggered back--until Teal'c expertly knocked his feet out from under him with a flick of his staff. Mo'at's head bounced against the hard tile as he landed roughly on the floor.

Teal'c stood over the dazed Mo'at, with his staff weapon held high, and said, "Say your prayers to whatever god you worship…for you are about to meet Him."

Then Teal'c brought the butt end of the staff down for the killing blow, crushing Mo'at's skull and instantly killing the First Prime. The surrounding tiles were splattered with blood and brains.

The rings lowered back into the ground just as Teal'c swung around, ready to fight once more.

But, to his relief, it was indeed O'Neill, along with Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield. They all stared at him, and the remains of Mo'at, with wide eyes.

"Damn, Teal'c, you really went to town on Moby there," O'Neill muttered with admiration. "Not that the son of a bitch didn't deserve it."

They were all startled when they heard a loud explosion from the other room.

**SG-1: SVU**

'What the hell?' Olivia thought, as she stared at her surroundings in puzzlement.

She stood on a large platform that lay before a massive door, which was set within the stone walls of what appeared to be a giant temple. Everything was very bright, and Olivia saw why: gazing up in the clear sky, she saw two suns--one was dimmer, and more reddish in color, than the other. As she cast her gaze across the land, Olivia saw that it was a barren desert that blazed under the harsh light of the twin suns. The platform she stood upon appeared to be a mountain that overlooked this dry, parched terrain.

A sound distracted her, and Olivia turned to see the massive metal doors of the temple slowly closing. Just before they did, Olivia noticed a large object in the dimness. She couldn't make it out.

A woman with long, blond hair approached her just then. Clad in the scant, flimsy clothing of an Egyptian high priestess, the woman--whose name Olivia somehow knew was Mut--respectfully bowed before Olivia.

"Do not worry, sister," she told Olivia, "for the Asgard Slayer shall be safe here, at Mount Tanis, until you need it."

"Sister," Olivia heard herself say, "you forget your place…."

Mut bowed again and said, "My apologies, my Lord Empress Neith. I shall not forget my place again."

"See that you don't," Olivia/Neith harshly replied, "or I shall seal you up in a chamber within Mount Tanis myself."

Olivia/Neith turned and strode to the far end of the platform, where there was a flight of stone steps that led to a vast field that contained several rows of titanic-sized pyramids. Then Olivia was stunned when she realized that they weren't pyramids, but an immense fleet of landed Goa'uld motherships.

Olivia flinched in pain suddenly; it felt as if her head was being drilled. She glanced up and was inside one of these motherships, with Mo'at standing there, telling her that the naquadah missiles had been loaded in all missile launchers. Olivia wanted to ask him what a naquadah missile was, but she was in too much agony. It was all just too much to take.

All Olivia wanted to do was to lay down and die.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Oh, God," Casey said, as she helplessly watched that monster shoot what looked like a laser beam into Olivia's head.

She got to her feet and started to run over to them, until Casey was distracted when her foot accidentally struck an object.

Casey glanced down and saw the weird gun that Olivia had dropped on the floor. She picked it up and aimed it at the demonic woman with the glowing eyes. When she pulled the trigger, a laser bolt shot out and struck the woman, making her cease her hellish torture of Olivia.

Olivia slumped down on the floor, where she appeared to have passed out, as the demonic woman turned around to face Casey, her inhuman eyes glowing intensely.

"I still don't know if this is a dream or not," Casey told her. "But dream or no dream, I am _not_ letting you hurt my friend!"

When Casey fired the weird ray gun again, her eyes grew wide when she realized that the laser bolt didn't hit the woman personally--instead it struck what looked like an invisible wall that surrounded her.

The woman let out an angry roar as she held up her hand--which began to glow as bright as the sun--right at Casey.

Casey dived to the floor as the energy bolt struck the wall behind her, creating the loudest blast she'd ever heard. She wondered if it would also be the last thing she'd ever hear, as well.

**SG-1: SVU**

Daniel quickly unstrapped his P90 as he ran into the adjoining room with the rest of SG-1. He quickly saw the cause of the explosion they'd heard: a part of the far wall had been blasted. And he also quickly saw who had caused the explosion: Neith.

She stood in the center of the room with her hand outstretched, and Casey was cowering on the floor before her.

"DROP HER!" O'Neill shouted, as he raised his P90 and opened fire directly on Neith.

Daniel, Sam, Hailey and Satterfield all followed suit, and soon there were five P90s all blasting away at Her Lord Empress Neith. Daniel soon saw it was a futile effort, for Neith--like most Goa'uld--was protected by a force shield. He was the first to stop shooting.

"We're just wasting bullets!" he called to the others.

"He's right, sir," Sam said, as they all ceased fire. "She's got a personal shield."

Teal'c casually strode up to Neith and, in a calm and satisfied tone of voice, said, "Mo'at is dead."

Neith let out a long, low snarl at that.

"Growl all you want," O'Neill replied. "That force shield may protect you from our bullets, but you can do little else. You're now our prisoner, your Lord Empress Bitch…."

Neith glared at him and said, "You shall all join Mo'at in the afterlife…very shortly."

With that, she pressed a button on her gauntlet, and a set of rings dropped down from the ceiling. Teal'c ducked out of the way as O'Neill, Hailey and Satterfield frantically opened fire on her with their P90s as Neith beamed out, yet it appeared their bullets harmlessly bounced off the rings.

"Damn it!" O'Neill angrily shouted, once the ring transporter had whisked Neith away. "I should always know better than to gloat to one of these Goa'uld bastards! They've got more escape tricks than David Copperfield!"

"Who's that?" Satterfield asked Hailey.

"A magician," Hailey replied. "You know, like that Mind Freak guy?"

"Oh, yeah..."

Daniel ran over to Casey, who had sat up and reached out for something. "You ok?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Casey told him, pointing. "But it's Olivia…."

Daniel realized that, from where Neith had stood, she blocked their view of Liv. Olivia lay on the floor with one arm flung over her head, looking for all the world like a discarded doll.

And she was very still.

"Oh God, no," he said, as both he and Casey ran over to her. When Daniel bent down before the prone woman, he said, "Olivia? Hey, Olivia? You hear me? Olivia?!"

Olivia stirred slightly, letting out a soft moan. Then she peevishly said, "Daniel, I thought I told you to call me Liv…."

"Oh, thank God," Daniel muttered with relief, as she opened her eyes and smiled wanly up at him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think…." she said. Olivia let out a pained groan as Daniel and Casey helped her to sit up.

Sam came over and knelt down, looking concerned. "Liv, how are you?"

Olivia smiled at her. "Got a splitting headache…and I had a really weird dream! When Neith hit me with that glowy glove of hers."

Daniel felt a chill run up his back. "Wait. You saw something, when Neith tried to kill you with her ribbon device?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, shaking her head. "But never mind, it was silly…."

"Liv, just tell me what you saw in that vision you had," Daniel said. "No matter how silly it may seem."

Sam grabbed his arm. "You're thinking it's the same as what happened with you and Sha're, isn't it?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah."

Olivia gave him a nervous look. "What do you mean?"

"The ribbon device is a dangerous weapon," Daniel told her. "But--and I know this from personal experience--it can also transfer the thoughts and memories of the person wearing it into the victim. Look, just tell us what you saw, ok, Liv?"

Olivia frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I found myself in the desert, at some kind of a temple called Mount Tanis. Oh," Olivia abruptly said, when she recalled something, "the Asgard Slayer was there! It was being kept there by a woman named Mut, who called Neith her sister."

"Oboy," Daniel said grimly.

"What?! More bad news?" O'Neill asked, as he, Teal'c and Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield all joined them.

"Actually, Jack, it sounds like good news for a change," Daniel replied. "When Liv was attacked with the ribbon device, Neith inadvertently told her where the Asgard Slayer might be." He glanced at Olivia for confirmation. "You said the place was in the desert, and was called Mount Tanis?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah."

"The Asgard Slayer?" O'Neill said with a frown.

"That's what they called it in the dream, or vision, or whatever it was," Olivia muttered. "It was inside the temple, behind a massive metal door. I couldn't get a good look at it."

"All right, that'll have to wait for now," O'Neill said. "Because we really need to get out of here."

"There's one other thing," Olivia told him, as she was helped to her feet by Sam and Casey. "What's a naquadah missile?"

Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, Hailey, Satterfield and O'Neill all froze with horrified expressions on their faces.

O'Neill leaned in towards Olivia and sharply said, "Why?"

"Um, I also saw Mo'at telling Neith that all missile launchers were loaded with naquadah missles," Olivia told him.

"I take it that's real bad, huh?" Casey nervously asked O'Neill.

Everybody was startled when the floor shook, and a long, low rumble could be heard throughout the ship.

"Feels like we're taking off, sir," Sam urgently said.

"Yeah, Casey, it's bad," O'Neill muttered. "In fact, it couldn't be any worse…."

**To Be Continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

_I'd like to thank James Axelrad, phantomliberty, mia66, Jean DuVent, SVU Chicky, piecesofyourheart and Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl for their encouraging words. Thanks very much!_

_Please excuse the re-posting of this chapter; I had to fix a really annoying typo..._

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Eleven **

Neith had stormed onto the peltac and ordered an immediate liftoff. Her peltac commander had gently tried to argue that there were still troops on the ground, mainly those that guarded the stargate. Yet his objections quickly died out when Neith aimed her ribbon device at him. She did not shoot him--she did not need to, for he instantly followed her command and gave the order for the vast mothership to take off.

'Finally,' Neith thought with satisfaction, as she felt the monstrous engines of her ship roar to life beneath her. 'We are leaving this pitiful little ball of dust…but not without sending them a little parting gift.'

"Be ready to launch all naquadah missiles on my command," she ordered.

The peltac commander bowed. "Yes, my Lord Empress."

**SG-1: SVU**

"Gene," O'Neill said as he keyed his radio. "Come in, Gene. Over."

"Jack?" the Marine commander's startled voice replied. "Where the hell are you? Over."

"Still aboard the mothership, and we're taking off--if you haven't noticed," O'Neill responded. "Evac everybody down into the base, right now! Over."

"What about you? Over."

"Neith's about to decimate the surface of the planet with naquadah missiles, and we're going to try and stop her. Over."

"You sure you don't need a hand, Jack? Over."

"Just getting Doctor Fraiser and the rest of the Kelori to a safe place in the base would be a huge help, Gene. I gotta go. Over and out."

There was a pause. Then Drumlin said, "Best of luck to you, Jack. Over and out."

O'Neill glanced at the group of people who surrounded him: Olivia, Casey, Teal'c, Daniel and Satterfield. They all nervously stared back at him--with the exception of Teal'c, whom O'Neill didn't think had a nervous bone in his entire body.

Carter and Hailey were busy looking through the control panel they had opened on the far wall. Carter was hopeful that she could somehow use this control panel to sabotage the missile launch right from under Neith's nose.

"Ok, so the ship's taking off, and we can assume that once it gets to within a certain distance, that's when Neith--being the royal bitch she is--shoots the naquadah missiles," O'Neill said. "What's the best way to stop her? Ideas, anybody?"

"We storm the peltac," Teal'c simply suggested.

"That's assuming we can get up there in time," Daniel said skeptically.

Satterfield nodded in agreement. "There's gonna be a lot of Jaffa between us and the peltac, sir."

Everybody ceased talking when Carter abruptly stepped back from the panel and shouted in frustration: "Oh….jeez!"

"You know, I'm no scientist," Olivia said, "but I get the feeling things aren't going well there…."

"When Carter gets stymied, we're _all _in trouble," O'Neill muttered darkly.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Let's go, everybody on the ring platform!" Colonel Drumlin shouted. "That means you, as well, Dr. Frasier! Move it, Major!"

Janet cursed under her breath as she went to join the very last group of Marines on the ring platform. It was bad enough for her to have to abandon the poor, dying souls in the slave stalls--but they were also leaving without Sam and the others.

Standing next to Drumlin on the platform, Janet asked, "What about SG-1, sir?"

"They're trying to stop Neith from annihilating the surface of the planet with naquadah missiles," Drumlin told her.

'Oh, dear God,' Janet thought miserably.

Drumlin must have seen her look of anxiety, because he said, "Don't fret, Doctor. They're SG-1, after all. If anybody can pull it off, and survive, they can."

"I have the utmost confidence in them, as always," Janet said. "But I can't help but wonder how often they can keep pushing their luck like this. I worry about them, Colonel."

"I look at it this way: they'll get the job done," Drumlin gently said. "I'd rather think positive. Because, if SG-1 fails in stopping Neith, then _none_ of us are going home."

That extremely dire thought was on Janet's mind as she and the Marines ringed down to the complex.

**SG-1: SVU**

Olivia joined O'Neill as he went over to the power panel to see what was the problem. Sam spoke urgently to Hailey, and the younger woman nodded and ran into the other room.

"Just sent her to check the other ring transporter, sir," Sam told O'Neill. "The one that Neith used only goes one way: straight up to the very top of the ship."

Olivia's eyes grew wide at that news. "There's no way out of here?"

"That's what Hailey's trying to find out now," Sam said.

"Any way of sabotaging the missile launch from here?" O'Neill asked.

Sam shook her head in frustration. "We found the master control crystals for all the doors on the upper level of the ship, but that's it. Nothing from the peltac can be accessed from here."

"Neith probably designed it that way," O'Neill said grimly. "Wonderful…."

Hailey returned, looking downcast. "The other ring transporter has been shut down completely. I can't find the master controls for it in the other room. The doors to this area have been sealed from outside. We're locked in here."

"What's at the very top of the ship?" O'Neill asked. "Where did Neith ring to? The peltac?"

"No, sir," Sam said, gesturing at a schematic. "The very top of the ship is a lifeboat. Neith ringed up there."

"Could we ring down from the lifeboat?"

"Yes, sir--at least, that's what I would assume Neith did," Sam said. She gestured at a schematic. "The lifeboat's still there."

"Good. That's where we're headed," O'Neill said thoughtfully. "We'll drop you, Daniel, the Lieutenants, and Liv and Casey off there. You can fly the lifeboat, Carter."

Sam blinked in surprise at him. "Excuse me, sir, but where are you and Teal'c going?"

"We'll go back down and try and stop Neith," he told her.

Sam grew alarmed. "How will you get off the ship if we're in the lifeboat?"

"That's not your concern, Major."

"Yes, it is, sir!" Sam said, looking upset. "I'm not leaving you and Teal'c behind to die!"

"That's an order, Major!" O'Neill firmly told her. "We don't have time for this discussion. Now, you said the controls for all the doors are--"

But Sam resolutely shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "Jack, Teal'c, please, this is suicide…."

"Hey, hey," O'Neill said softly. "This is not up for debate, Sam. If we don't stop those missiles, an entire planet-filled with people will be slaughtered. And, for the record, we're not exactly planning on throwing our lives away here. If we can take over the ship, we will. But stopping the missiles is our main priority. Now, show us how to manipulate the controls for the doors. It'll be a big help if we can lock up as many Jaffa as we can."

For a spilt second, Sam simply did nothing but stare at O'Neill--and Olivia anxiously thought she was actually going to disobey his order.

Yet Sam suddenly began to nod. "The doors, sir," she said, breaking into a broad grin. "That's it! The doors!"

Sam turned around and briefly consulted the control panel. "Hailey, get over here, I'll need your help!"

"You got it," the young lieutenant replied, "what do you need?"

"Carter, wait!" O'Neill said, puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"When you mentioned locking up the Jaffa, that's what gave me the idea," Sam excitedly told him. "We have control over all the doors on the upper part of the mothership…including the missile doors. We can simply lock the missile silo doors shut, and when Neith launches her missiles--bam!"

"Bam?" O'Neill repeated, uncertain. "You sure?"

"Sounds a lot better than you and Teal'c risking your lives," Daniel commented.

"We don't have a lot of time, sir," Sam said, waving her hands. "If we're going to do this--"

O'Neill nodded. "Go for it, Carter."

"But won't the peltac crew have an alarm system that'll warn them if the doors don't open?" Hailey asked Sam.

"That's your job, Hailey," Sam told her. "Find that alarm and bypass it. I'll sabotage the doors. And please hurry; we haven't much time."

"No pressure, huh?" Hailey sarcastically muttered, as she quickly scanned the controls.

"Hey, you wanted the job," Sam wryly replied, as she found the control crystals for the missile doors. "There you are, you buggers…."

As Olivia watched Sam and Hailey work frantically on the controls, she was unaware that she was nervously wringing her hands until Casey came over and gently grabbed them. Both women stood there, holding each others' hands as they watched Sam and Hailey rearrange various pieces of what looked to Olivia like glowing slivers of glass. The ship continued to rumble and shake all around them, making Olivia wonder if time had already run out.

"Got it," Sam said, as she placed the last crystal back into its slot. "Now the doors won't open no matter what, sir."

"I'm done, as well," Hailey announced.

"You created a feedback loop to fool the sensors, right?" Sam asked.

Hailey nodded. "But only when the system gives the command to open the doors, then the feedback loop will be initiated on a continuous, rapidly deployed--"

"Excuse me, ladies?" O'Neill said, holding up a hand. "Could we save the techno babble shop talk for when we're aboard the lifeboat? Let's go!"

Sam activated the controls for Neith's personal ring transporter. "We're all set, sir! Everybody can get on the ring platform, now."

"Now we're both becoming pros at riding this thing," Olivia said to Casey, as they ran over to the ring platform.

They stood in the center of the tight circle of people as the transporter flashed, and the rings rose up from the floor and surrounded them.

"I think I'd still prefer to take the elevator," Casey muttered, just before they all vanished in a bright flash.

When they reappeared, Olivia saw they were in a smaller, more cramped space. The walls slanted inwards at the top, creating the feeling of being in a pyramid. At the very top of the room was a window, and Olivia was stunned to see nothing but blackness beyond.

"Are we in outer space?" Olivia asked, awed.

"Pretty much," O'Neill replied. "Looks like we got up here just in time. The ship's cleared the atmosphere."

There was a control panel located in the center of the room. Sam and Teal'c went to it and began manipulating the controls.

When Sam pressed a button, Olivia felt her stomach do a somersault inside of her. Casey appeared to have felt the same way, for she gripped her belly and said, "What just happened?"

"I've turned on the life support system--both air and gravity. It operates separately from the rest of the ship," Sam replied, as she and Teal'c started up the lifeboat's engines. "Everybody brace yourselves, here we go!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"We are clear of the planet's atmosphere, my Lord Empress," the peltac commander informed her.

A board smile spread across Neith's face. "Excellent. Let us exterminate the Kelori once and for all. Launch all missiles!"

The peltac commander pressed a button on his console. "The missiles are away, my Lord Empress."

**SG-1: SVU**

The four naquadah-enhanced missiles fired up instantly inside each of their silos once they received the signal to launch. The missiles each roared down their tubes--

--where they promptly slammed into the four massive doors, which remained closed over all the silos. All four missiles slamming into their doors would have been devastating enough, yet thanks to their special naquadah-enhanced warheads, the resulting explosions that roared through the mothership were apocalyptic in their fury.

**SG-1: SVU**

Aboard the peltac, they instantly knew something was wrong when the alarms sounded--followed by the death rattle of the ship itself as it began to fly apart around them.

Despite the fact that Neith was gripped with shock at this sudden dire turn in events, she remained calm and attended to the most important thing she could do right now: saving herself.

As the peltac erupted into flames around her, Neith strode over to the ring platform, which would transport her up to the lifeboat. She pressed the button onher gaunlet, which activated the ring transporter.

The peltac commander, fearful for his life, ran up to her. "My lord Empress, please take us with y--"

Neith shot him dead with her ribbon device just before the rings rose up around her. The way Neith saw it, the entire thing was probably his fault, anyway--and she was still being merciful by doing the idiot a favor by sparing him from being consumed by the destruction of the ship.

'I've sadly underestimated SG-1,' Neith thought, as the rings transported her away from the peltac, and upwards, to the lifeboat. 'That won't happen when next we meet. I shall hunt them down and kill them all like the dogs they are!'

Once she rematerialized within the rings, Neith was surprised to see blackness surrounded her. 'Where were the lights?' she wondered.

Then her eyes grew wide with shock when Neith realized she couldn't breathe. As her body drifted about helplessly in the weightlessness of the cold dark void, with the now-dead transport rings bumping lazily into her, Neith realized that the lifeboat was no longer attached to the ship--she had ringed directly into the empty blackness of space where it was once was.

Yet Neith didn't have much time to reflect on this bizarre turn of events, for her very own mothership was now in its death throes. The series of raging explosions that were set off by the naquadah missiles had now reached the engineering compartment, and the mothership--the pride of the Imperial Fleet of the Netian Empire--abruptly exploded like a sun going supernova.

And as she helplessly watched these cataclysmic events unfold right in front of her, for the first time in her centuries-long life, Neith felt an unfamiliar emotion: sheer terror.

Neith never had a chance to asphyxiate in the cold void of space, for the wall of fiery death that blasted out from the remnants of her ship had quickly consumed her.

And in that instant, Her Lord Empress Neith was no more.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Good God," Olivia muttered, as she and Casey stared at the main screen in the lifeboat. Everyone had been silent as they watched the death of Neith and the complete destruction of her mothership. "What an awful way to go…."

"Yeah," O'Neal quietly agreed. "But she deserved it."

Olivia couldn't help but nod her head. "Yeah, she did at that, didn't she?"

"Good riddance," Casey muttered.

"We're clear of the explosion, sir," Sam reported from the console.

O'Neill, who casually sat in a chair, held up his hands in a victory gesture. "We just took down another Goa'uld, folks! Carter, Hailey, great job!"

"It was really Major Carter's idea, sir," Hailey modestly said. "It was her overall plan that worked."

"My plan wouldn't have worked without your feedback loop, Jennifer," Sam told her.

"Great job to Carter, Hailey, _and_ the feedback loop," O'Neill amended.

Olivia and Casey both burst into laughter as everybody in the ship broke into an impromptu cheering and applauding session. Although he refrained from doing any actual cheering, even Teal'c had a broad smile on his face. As she clapped, Satterfield began shouting, "The feedback loop, woo-hoo!"

Once the revelry died down, O'Neill asked, "Carter, can we head back to the planet in this thing?"

"We can head home in this thing, if we wanted to, sir," Sam reported. "It's got a hyper-drive. But, as per your orders, I'm heading back towards the base."

"Wait," O'Neill said, as he glanced at Olivia. "Liv, that vision you had of Mount Tanis, where Neith kept the Asgard Slayer, you mentioned that it was in the desert?"

When Olivia nodded, O'Neill glanced at Sam. "Take the scenic route around the planet, Carter. Let's see if we can't find Mount Tanis from up here."

"It's not here," Olivia firmly told him. "In my vision, I saw two suns in the sky: one was smaller and redder than the other. This place only has one sun, right?"

"That's right," Sam said. "From what you saw, it sounds like Mount Tanis is located in a binary star system, Liv."

"This ain't over, folks," Daniel muttered under his breath. "Not by a long shot..."

"We got the bad guy," O'Neill told him, irritated. "That's as good as hearing the fat lady singing, Daniel!"

"Yeah, we got the bad guy, Jack, but there's still a super weapon out there, somewhere, which can be used to kill the Asgard," Daniel countered. "We have to find it before it can be used."

"The overweight woman has yet to be heard singing," Teal'c commented.

"All right," O'Neill conceded. "We'll deal with this later. For now, Carter, get us back to the base."

**SG-1: SVU**

Tap, tap, tap….

Elliot glanced warily over at Munch, who sat in a chair beside him in the visitor's center conference room in Cheyenne Mountain. They had been silently waiting for somebody official to come in and speak with them for the last ten minutes, until Munch abruptly started tapping his pen on the arm of his chair. It was a constant, fast-paced tapping, which immediately set Elliot's nerves on edge the moment he heard it.

Taking about as much of this as he could, Elliot leaned over and said, "John, stop it."

"Stop what, Elliot?" Munch asked, trying his best to look innocent.

Elliot stared at the floor for a moment while he wearily rubbed his face. After spending a couple of hours in cramped airline seats, listening to Munch expound on one crazy conspiracy theory after another, Elliot supposed he should have gotten used to being with this wack-job by this time. But now, more than ever, it took everything Elliot had just to keep from strangling Munch.

'How the hell does Finn put up with him on a day to day basis?' Elliot wondered, and not for the first time since they both left New York City.

Tap, tap, tap, tap….

Elliot took a deep breath and calmly said, "John, so help me, if you don't stop tapping that pen, I will take it off you and shove it up your--"

Munch abruptly leaned forward and, in a whisper, said, "These government waiting rooms are always placed under surveillance, Elliot. By making as much noise as possible, I'm hoping to prevent whoever's listening from hearing what we say."

"If we are really under surveillance, then I want them to hear us, John," Elliot said. He stood up and made a sweeping gesture with his hands. "We're investigating the disappearance of Olivia Benson and Casey Novak, and I want them to know that. We're not the ones who have anything to hide, here."

A door opened just then, and an Air Force officer entered the room with a pleasant smile. "Hope I haven't kept you waiting too long," he said, as he placed a briefcase on the desk in front of them. "I'm Major Paul Davis, United States Air Force."

"Detectives Elliot Stabler and John Munch," Elliot replied. "NYPD."

Davis took a seat at the desk. "How can I help you, Detectives?"

"We're investigating the disappearance of Detective Olivia Benson and Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak," Munch told him.

"I see," Davis said, frowning in puzzlement. "And the front desk told me that you think we had something to do with this?"

"Well, I don't know. Did you?" Elliot bluntly asked.

Davis stared at him in disbelief for a second. Then he smiled slightly. "You know, if the front desk didn't get a good look at both of your credentials, then I'd swear you were playing a practical joke here."

"If only the disappearances of our friends and colleagues _was_ just a practical joke," Munch said, shaking his head. "But I'm afraid it's all too true, Major Davis. And we believe the US Air Force knows something about it."

"I beg your pardon, gentlemen," Davis abruptly said, holding up his hands. "I did not mean to make light of your situation. May I ask what makes you think the Air Force knows anything about the disappearances of Ms. Benson and Ms. Novak?"

"It looks as if they're part of the Disappeared," Elliot told him. "They both vanished much like the others did, from locked homes in the middle of the night. We have it on good authority that you--the good folks in this mountain--are leading that investigation, and since our two investigations have basically dove-tailed, we're just wondering if you'd like to share what you've found out so far."

Davis stared at Elliot as if he were crazy. "You say we're leading the investigation into the Disappeared? May I ask who told you this?"

"No," Munch flatly told him.

"Sorry," Elliot replied with a slight smile. "But if we revealed our sources…well, then they wouldn't be our sources for very long, Mr. Davis."

"That's Major Davis," he corrected Elliot.

Elliot nodded. "Major Davis, right."

"Do you know what we do here, Mr. Stabler?" Davis asked, as he absently scratched his nose. "We study deep space telemetry--that's pretty much it. While I have no doubt that the US government is investigating these strange disappearances, you might have better luck consulting with the FBI in that regard."

'The bastard's lying right through his teeth,' Elliot realized. He'd learned to spot liars from years of detective work, and Davis just gave away his dishonesty so easily that Elliot might as well have been reading him like a book.

Elliot strode up to the desk, leaned over it so he and Davis were face to face, and said, "First off, that's _Detective_ Stabler to you, Major Davis. And, secondly: I think I'm in the right place. I know you people have the answers. And I'm not leaving here until I get them."

Davis nodded solemnly as he rose from the desk and gathered his personal belongings. "Then I'm afraid you're going to have a very long wait, Detective Stabler. Because we don't have the answers you want. I don't know how much more help I can be to you at this time."  
Davis abruptly left Elliot and Munch in the room.

"I think that went very well," Munch said sarcastically.

"Actually, it did go well, John," Elliot told him. He pointed in the direction where Davis walked out and added, "I just found out that that bastard's lying like a rug."

"About what?"

"Everything," Elliot replied. He saw a large mirror on the wall, and it reminded him of the two-way mirrors they had in the stationhouse interrogation rooms. Elliot knew--he just knew--that there was somebody on the other side of that glass right now, watching them.

He strode up to the mirror and, glaring at his own reflection, said, "This isn't over. Not by a long shot. You hear me? You either have Olivia Benson and Casey Novak, or you know what happened to them. And one way or another, I _will_ find out what you know!"

**SG-1: SVU**

Sam landed the lifeboat a ways from the base, near the stargate. She was pleased to see there were no longer any Jaffa guarding it. In fact, once she opened the doors, Sam and the rest of the team received a heroes' welcome from the Kelori--who, it had turned out, all joyously watched the mothership explode in high orbit above them.

Major Lyman came up to them, smiling. "Colonel Drumlin sent me and a squad to check on the gate. But the Jaffa detachment who were left behind here all decided it would be a good idea to evacuate through the gate once they saw the mothership explode. Great job, Colonel O'Neill!"

"It was Carter and Hailey who actually took down the ship," O'Neill told him, as they shook hands. "They cooked up a scheme to keep the missile doors shut even when the missiles were fired."

Lyman shot Sam a broad grin. "Superb work, Major Carter."

Yet before Sam could respond, she was abruptly tackled around the waist in a tight hug. She glanced down and saw it was Luanda who presently hugged her tightly.

"Did you see it?" Luanda excitedly asked. "Did you see the ship of dragons be destroyed? Was it not wonderful?!"

"Yes, it was, Luanda," Sam said with a chuckle. She could only imagine the sheer joy the girl felt when she witnessed the destruction of Neith. The Kelori were now free of her.

'But for how long would they be free?' Sam solemnly wondered. The detachment of Jaffa that escaped through the stargate would no doubt tell the rest of the Netian Empire about what happened here. The SGC may have to consider moving the Kelori to another world.

'Still, there's no reason to rain on their parade for now,' Sam mused, as she watched Luanda, along with her mother and father, run over to give Olivia a hug. Olivia introduced the girl and her parents to Casey, and Luanda--still pumped with the thrill of victory--even gave Casey a hug, as well.

While Luanda ran over to celebrate with Daniel and Teal'c, Sam watched as Casey gave Olivia a look of disbelief--then she burst into laughter.

"What?" Olivia asked, smiling.

"I still can't get over the sight of you in that ridiculous outfit," Casey said, grinning.

"You should talk, Casey," Olivia jokingly said. "Standing there, in that jersey, with no shoes on, you look like you should be playing softball on the beach!"

"Believe me, I wish I _was_ playing softball on the beach!" Casey retorted, as both women, laughing, fell into a hug.

Sam couldn't help but envy them--specifically, she couldn't help but envy Casey for being such good friends with Olivia. While Sam wasn't sorry to see Neith and the dire threat she posed gone, she will be sorry to see Olivia go back to her life in New York City. Sam will miss her.

'But there's no sense in pining over something that I have no control over,' Sam thought, as she morosely started walking away. 'Besides, there's still plenty of mop-up work to do here. There's several hundred people in stasis tubes who need--'

"Hey!" a voice said, cutting off Sam's line of thought.

Sam turned around to see Olivia standing there, smiling at her. "Where the hell are you going, Sam?" she asked, holding out her arms. "Get over here, now."

Sam broke into a broad grin as she and Olivia hugged each other tightly. The hug did wonders to ease Sam's mind--as did what Olivia said next.

"You're my buddy," Olivia told her, while they were still in their embrace. "And you always will be, no matter what happens. You hear me?"

"After what we've been through, I wouldn't have it any other way," Sam happily told her, once they broke their embrace.

O'Neill came up to them and said, "Carter, you want to do the honors of dialing home?"

Sam nodded, smiling. "With pleasure, sir."

**SG-1: SVU**

"This isn't over. Not by a long shot. You hear me?" the man on the TV screen angrily said. "You either have Olivia Benson and Casey Novak, or you know what happened to them. And one way or another, I _will_ find out what you know!"

Major Davis froze the image right there with the remote. "They left shortly after that little speech," he reported.

General Hammond slowly shook his head as he gazed at the firm visage of Detective Elliot Stabler, captured by a video camera behind a two-way mirror. He pointed at Stabler and said, "Now that's one tenacious son of a bitch, Major."

"Yes, sir," Davis readily agreed. "I think he may well be a problem for us down the line."

Hammond nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps. But the ball's in his court now, so let's wait and see--"

The general was cut off when an alert blared throughout the base as Sergeant Harriman's voice said, "Incoming wormhole! General Hammond to the control room, please!"

Hammond and Davis quickly left the conference room and went downstairs to the control room. The stargate glowed around the edges, but it's central opening was still covered by the iris. A grinning Harriman glanced up at them from his position at the controls. "We've made radio contact, sir. And it's SG-1!"

"Thank God," Hammond said under his breath, as he stepped close to the microphone. "SG-1, this is Hammond, do you read?"

"Read you loud and clear, sir," the voice of Colonel O'Neill said. "Just wanted to check in and say that my kids and I are fine. And Neith is dead; her mothership was destroyed in high orbit."

Hammond exchanged an amazed expression with Davis, Harriman, and several others who crowded into the control room. "Why…that's great news, Colonel! And SG-3?"

"No casualties on their end, either, sir."

"Good to hear!" He glanced at Harriman and whispered, "Does their IDC check out?"

Harriman nodded. "Yes, sir. It does."

"Then open the iris. Colonel," Hammond added, speaking into the microphone once more. "The door's open at this end. You and your team can come on home."

"Yeah, uh--we'd love to, sir," O'Neill said, sounding distracted. "But something's just come up."

"What is it?"

"They've just found Buddy Melham, sir," O'Neill solemnly informed him.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Oh, thank God," Janet muttered, when she saw the landed ship near the stargate. She'd earlier heard on the radio that SG-1 was alive and well. But the sight of that vessel was a visual conformation to Janet that SG-1 did make it out of Neith's vessel before it blew up.

Janet was traveling with Colonel Drumlin and the second wave of Marines, who were helping the Kelori wounded get to the gate. Once Major Lyman radioed back with the 'all clear,' they had immediately set out from the base for the stargate.

"Uh-oh," Drumlin muttered, as he pointed out the crowd of people. "Looks like something's wrong…."

Janet saw that SG-1 were among the people who had crowded around by the side of the stargate platform. "Excuse me, sir," she told Drumlin, "there may be somebody hurt."

"Go ahead, Doctor," he said with a nod. "We'll catch up."

"Lt. Williamson," Janet called to the Marine medic, gesturing for him to join her. Because of her prior intensive treatment of the Kelori wounded, Janet was almost fresh out of medical supplies.

As Janet and Williamson ran up to the crowd, a grim Sam came out to greet her. "Hey, Janet."

"Hey, Sam. Once again, I'm real glad to see you're ok," Janet said with a smile. When Sam merely nodded solemnly, Janet asked, "What happened here?"

"Several of the Marines found Colonel Melham," Sam told her. She shook her head sadly. "There's nothing you can do for him, Janet."

'Damn it,' Janet miserably thought, as she, Sam and Williamson moved through the crowd. They found the body lying on its back, stripped of its weapons. Someone had placed a towel over the stump where the head used to be.

Janet's heart broke at the sight of the grieving Jennifer Hailey and Grace Satterfield, who stood leaning on each other--as if for support--just off to the side of the body of their SG team leader.

"They just dumped him," Satterfield said, her voice breaking with emotion. "They tossed him away, like he was so much…."

Satterfield shook her head, unable to say the word. But Janet knew what she meant. By dumping it in the weeds next to the stargate, Neith's Jaffa had treated Buddy Melham's body as if it were so much garbage.

"Just keep in mind Lieutenant," O'Neill said quietly, "that Neith and her boys aren't exactly sitting very pretty right now."

"Payback's a bitch," Satterfield said with satisfaction. "Ain't it, sir?"

"That it is." O'Neill walked over to the lieutenants and added, "And you two were a big part of Neith getting that payback. Buddy would be very proud of you both."

Hailey nodded, a slight smile on her face. "Yes sir."

Janet and Lt. Williamson had completed the grim task of placing Colonel Melham's remains within a body bag. Just as she zippered the bag up, four Marines came forward to carry the body away.

"Um, doctor, if you don't mind," Hailey said, "Lt. Satterfield and I would like to help carry him back."

Janet nodded. "Of course, I understand perfectly, Lt. Hailey."

Two of the Marines quickly stepped aside to allow Hailey and Satterfield to pick up their end of the body bag.

"I think it would be extremely fitting for Buddy to be the first to get back home," O'Neill said. "Wouldn't you agree, Gene?"

Drumlin nodded. "No argument here, Jack. Bobby, dial up the gate."

Janet turned to O'Neill and said, "As soon as Colonel Melham is through, I'd like to start evacuating the wounded immediately, sir."

"Not a problem, Fraiser." O'Neill glanced over at Olivia and Casey. "Get ready ladies, for you're about to make your first trip through the gate!"

Olivia and Casey, who stood at a respectful distance from the group, both had anxious looks on their faces at that thought.

"Well, after riding on the ring transporter, how hard can this be?" Olivia nervously asked. "Right?"

Yet when the stargate came to life once more with a roar, accompanied by the spectacular swoosh of the event horizon, Olivia and Casey practically hugged each other with renewed fear.

"We're actually going _in_ that thing?!" Casey cried in a panic. "Oh, good Christ, Liv!"

**SG-1: SVU**

When she emerged on the other side of the stargate, Janet followed close behind the solemn funeral procession that carried Colonel Melham home. She was heartened to see General Hammond ordered the troops in the gate room to all stand at attention, while he stood giving the body a salute as it passed him by.

Janet was also grateful to see her medical team was out in full force in the gate room. She was helping a Kelori warrior named Noli down the ramp when two of her attendants took him off her hands and placed him on a stretcher.

"At ease!" Hammond called to the troops, once Colonel Melham's body had been placed on a stretcher and wheeled out. He strode over to Janet and said, "Welcome back, Doctor, Lieutenants. And congratulations on a superb job."

"Thank you, sir," Janet said. "And thank _you_, General."

Hammond stared at her, puzzled. "For what, Doctor?"

"For clearing the road for us, sir," Janet said, smiling.

Hammond grinned. "Anytime, Doctor, anytime."

Janet watched as several Marines helped some more injured Kelori down the ramp to the awaiting medical teams--until something caught her eye. She glanced up to see Cassie in the second story conference room window, joyfully jumping up and down and waving at her.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you, Doctor," Hammond said, smiling. "You've got a welcoming committee of your own up there. I've already told Cassie that everyone's safe and sound."

Janet smiled up at Cassie as she mouthed the words: "Homework. Done?"

Cassie stopped jumping long enough to give her an annoyed glare as she mouthed back: "Oh, mom!"

"Ok, ok," Janet whispered, grinning, as she blew her daughter a kiss.

"I wonder what's the hold up?" Hailey said, staring at the gate.

Janet glanced at the still-active stargate and realized that people had stopped coming through. "Where's Olivia and Casey?" she asked. "They should have been here by now."

Hammond gave her a double take. "Doctor, you don't mean Olivia Benson and Casey Novak, do you?"

"Yes, sir," Janet replied, stunned. "They're part of the Disappeared who've been awakened from their stasis tubes. But how did you know--?"

"Thanks to one very tenacious SOB," Hammond muttered, as he exchanged a wary look with Major Davis, who stood behind the glass in the control room.

Janet wasn't sure what the general meant, but since he wasn't inclined to explain, she figured it would be best to let it go for now. She stared at the stargate with the others, wondering what was keeping Olivia and Casey, as well as SG-1.

**SG-1: SVU**

"It looks like water," Casey flatly said, staring critically at the shiny event horizon within the stargate. "We're gonna get wet, aren't we?"

"No, Casey, you won't," Sam paitently said. "It looks like water, but--well, trust me, it isn't."

"Do we have to hold our breath?" Olivia asked nervously.

Sam shook her head. "The entire journey takes just three seconds. You'll barely notice anything before you'll find yourself back on earth again."

Olivia's smile faded at the thought of stepping into that pile of glowing jello. "Uh, what exactly happens to us when we step through again, Sam? Because, I recall one of these science shows, where they talked about how anything goes into a wormhole gets stretched out into a thin roll of spaghetti, and--"

"Oh, God," Casey moaned, "that's not what's gonna happen to us, is it?!"

"No, see, that's a black hole," Sam started to explain. "This is a worm hole, and--as I've said before--the worm hole transports you to…."

Sam was cut off when O'Neill, taking about as much as he could bear of this situation, stepped in-between the Major and the anxious women. "Olivia, Casey," he said calmly, "either the two of you step through that gate, or I will push you through it. What shall it be?"

Casey, looking very alarmed, involuntarily grabbed Olivia's hands as she stared fearfully at O'Neill.

"Sir!" Sam complained, giving O'Neill a shocked look. Even Teal'c, who stood behind her, raised an eyebrow at O'Neill in consternation.

Daniel walked up to the group and dismally shook his head. "Oh yeah, real nice, Jack," he said sarcastically. "Real tactful…."

"I'm sorry, Daniel, Olivia, Casey, Carter and Teal'c," O'Neill muttered, still sounding annoyed. "But we can't stand here all day! I'd like to get back to the SGC sometime before the turn of the next century…."

Daniel stepped in front of Oliva and Casey and held out his hands. "Ladies, I'm about to go through the wormhole, and I was wondering if you'd both like to escort me?"

Olivia reluctantly released Casey's hands and grasped one of Daniel's in her own. Casey slowly did the same with Daniel's other hand. Soon the trio were all holding hands, facing the shimmering event horizon, with Daniel in the center.

"We'll all go through together, at the same time," he told Olivia and Casey, "all right?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, with a heavy, resigned sigh. "Ok…."

"Um, this won't hurt, right?" Casey feebly asked.

"It'll be completely painless," Daniel assured her. "And it'll also be over before you know it. Ready? Here we go."

'Oh crud,' Olivia nervously thought--as she, Casey and Daniel all stepped into the shimmering light at the same time….

**...to be concluded in the next, and final, chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

_I'd like to give my thanks to novaleebird, phantomliberty, mia66, piecesofyourheart, Ellie Sage, James Axelrad, SVU Chicky and Piper-Jacko06-Butterflygirl. Your words of encouragement were most welcome. Thanks again. _

_Everybody brace yourselves...this last chapter is a long one. _

**Stargate: SVU**

**Chapter Twelve**

Olivia was astounded.

Although the journey lasted a brief few seconds, she marveled at the wondrous images of the universe that flashed before her. Stars and distant galaxies whizzed by as Olivia traveled through a series of translucent rings that formed a tunnel through space and time.

'This must be the actual wormhole,' she thought. Olivia wanted to reach out and touch one of those rings, but realized that she had no sense of her body. There was just her thoughts, her bare essence, as Olivia was teleported several thousand light years within the blink of an eye.

Everything vanished in a flash of bright light, and Olivia's vision was now focused on a large concrete room. Her feet stepped down on a metal platform, which led to a ramp with lights on the railings. At the far end of the ramp, on the opposite side of the room, stood a group of people. Olivia recognized Janet, Hailey and Satterfield. They stood next to an imposing older man with a general's rank. Behind them was a large window set in the wall, within was a control room of sorts.

'We're here,' she realized, with growing exhilaration. 'We're on the other side of the stargate!'

"OH, WOW!" Olivia joyfully said, as she exchanged a broad smile with Daniel. "That was really cool!"

"I never get tired of it myself," Daniel said, chuckling. He led both her and Casey away from the gate by their hands. "Come on, we need to move away from the gate before the others--"

Before he was finished, there was a slight splashing sound from behind Olivia. She turned to see O'Neill, Teal'c and Sam step through the stargate as easily as stepping off the subway.

Sam, seeing Olivia's excitement, flashed her a grin. "Fun, isn't it?"

"You kidding? That was great!" Olivia exclaimed. She started moving towards the stargate. "Can I do that again?"

"Whoa, whoa," O'Neill said, as he gently grabbed Olivia. "It only goes one way--this way."

"If you want to go back to the planet, we'd have to shut down the gate and then dial out," Sam explained.

"Oh," Olivia said, disappointed. "That trip is so much fun, it should be at Disneyworld!"

O'Neill waved at the crowd at the bottom of the ramp. "Greetings, mon General!"

"Welcome home, SG-1," the general said, smiling. As they approached him, Olivia saw that he had a kindly face. "And welcome home, Ms. Novak and Detective Benson. I'm General George Hammond, of Stargate Command."

"Oh, uh, permission to come aboard," Casey said, uneasily. "Is that the right thing to say?"

"It is for the Navy," Hammond told her. "But this is the Air Force. Yet you and Detective Benson are still more than welcome here all the same."

"Thanks, General," Olivia replied, smiling. "I see the others have already told you about us."

Olivia was stunned to see Janet, Hailey and Satterfield all shake their heads in the negative at her.

"Actually, Detective Benson, we received a visit earlier today from a colleague of yours," Hammond told her. "A Detective Elliot Stabler."

"Oh, my God!" Olivia said with a gasp. "Elliot was here?! Is he still here?"

"No, he and Detective Munch left some time ago. But not before Detective Stabler gave us an earful." Hammond had a wry smile. "He's quite a persistent gentleman, isn't he?"

"Oh, God, you don't know the half of it," Casey muttered, sharing a smile with Olivia. "He must have been investigating our disappearance."

"And, knowing El, he went wherever the hell the investigation took him," Olivia said, shaking her head in admiration. "Even straight to here, God bless him…."

"How did he know to come here?" Daniel asked.

"Munch," both Olivia and Casey said at the same time.

"Detective John Munch is a conspiracy nut," Olivia explained. "He's a great cop, but don't get him started on his favorite conspiracy of the week."

"Speaking of conspiracies," Hammond said. "I'm extremely glad to hear that we nipped Neith's grand plans of conquest in the bud, Colonel."

"Yeah, well, uh, Neith herself may be out of the picture," Daniel delicately said, "but…um, it's not really over."

Hammond and Janet looked alarmed at this piece of news.

"General, boy, have we got a story to tell you!" O'Neill told him.

"I'm looking forward to hearing it at the debriefing," Hammond said. "Which will be after you've all been checked out in the infirmary."

**SG-1: SVU**

Olivia sat on the infirmary bed and let out a satisfied sigh. She had glanced down at the clothes that the nurse had given her to wear: green pants, with a black, long sleeved shirt and black army boots. Now Olivia realized why the nurse had asked for her specific measurements while she had been poked and prodded at during her medical examination.

When she pulled the privacy curtain open from around her bed, Olivia saw Daniel, Teal'c, O'Neill, Satterfield, Hailey and Casey all standing by the doorway, speaking animatedly. Sam stood off to the side talking with Janet and her daughter, Cassie. Olivia saw that Casey now wore similar-style clothing in the same color as Olivia, only fitted for her more petite size.

Sam nodded her approval at Olivia's new outfit. "Fit good?"

"Fits great," Olivia replied, smiling. "I love it!"

"I've never heard anybody get so excited at wearing a BDU before," Daniel commented.

"BDU?" Casey asked.

"Battle Dress Uniform," Sam replied. "What we all have on--except Cassie, of course."

Cassie just rolled her eyes, as if the very thought of wearing a BDU was repulsive to her.

"The latest in Pentagon fine fashion," O'Neill jokingly said. "It's all the rage in Milan!"

"Trust me, anything's better than the silly outfit I had on," Olivia replied.

"You wore that silly outfit very well," Daniel told her.

That comment gave Olivia pause. And she noticed the entire infirmary had abruptly quieted down, as everybody stared right at Daniel.

"Just…you know…making an observation," Daniel uneasily added. "Um, that's all…."

"Right," O'Neill said, with a slow nod. "If you say so, Daniel."

Olivia gazed at Daniel with renewed interest, and thought it was funny--and very cute--how he wouldn't make eye contact with her. Then Daniel abruptly excused himself, muttering about how he had to get some research materials together for the debriefing.

As he quickly left the infirmary, Olivia stared thoughtfully after Daniel--until she noticed Casey presently regarded her with a frown. "What?" she asked Casey.

"Nothing," Casey quickly responded, yet the suspicious look she had spoke volumes; as if to say there _was_ something on her mind.

Janet got off the phone and came over to the group. "I've just informed the general that we've all been cleared, and are now on our way for the debriefing."

"Very well," O'Neill said, making a sweeping gesture through the door with his arms. "Ladies? Jaffa? Shall we?"

The conference room itself was massive, with a long table by a row of windows that offered a nice view of the stargate room. General Hammond sat at the head of the table. Daniel wasn't there, yet. And they patiently waited for him--until he entered, with a load of books and computer CDs in his arms. As he got everything set up, Casey--who sat across the table from Olivia--gave Daniel the once over. Then she glanced at Olivia, gave her a thumbs up sign, and mouthed, "Not bad!"

"What?!" Olivia said, stunned, as she leaned across the table to glare at Casey.

For her part, Casey merely smiled sweetly back at her.

"Something wrong, Detective Benson?" Hammond asked.

Olivia glanced over and saw everyone at the entire table now stared at her with interest. Feeling like a high school student who spoke out of turn in class, Olivia sheepishly grinned at them and said, "Nothing. Sorry!"

Hammond nodded as he sat back in his chair. "In that case, anytime you folks are ready…."

The debriefing went smoothly, with everyone taking turns telling their point of view of the whole story. Once they got to Olivia's visions, Hammond finally spoke up. "I mean nothing personal against you, Detective Benson," he said, "but how do we know that these visions you've had from Neith's ribbon device can be trusted? Do we know for sure that Neith really _has_ an Asgard Slayer?"

Before Olivia could speak, O'Neill came to her defense. "Olivia also knew from the vision that Neith was about to launch the naquadah missiles. And she was certainly right about that, sir."

"And the incident with Sha're proved to me that the ribbon device _is_ capable of transposing thoughts from the user to the victim," Daniel said. "Neith must have been thinking about Mount Tanis at the time she was using the ribbon device on Olivia; hence, Liv received the visions--the personal memories--that Neith had of her stronghold."

"Which isn't located on P3X-897, I take it," Hammond said.

"No sir, it can never be _that_ easy," O'Neill muttered.

"Liv said it was located on a planet within a binary star system, sir," Sam interjected.

"One of the suns was red, and smaller than the other," Olivia added, in a bid to be more helpful.

"Um, I looked up Mount Tanis--beyond the regular reference to it here on earth--and found nothing about it," Daniel said.

"What's the reference to Mount Tanis here on earth?" Hailey asked.

"Not Mount Tanis, exactly," Daniel told her. "But Tanis. It became the northern capital of Egypt during the 21st dynasty. The chief deities of the city were Amun and his consort, Mut."

Sam glanced at Olivia. "Mut. You saw a woman by that name in your vision."

"Yeah," Olivia replied, nodding. She felt a chill run up her spine when she recalled the coldness within the woman's eyes. "And she was way creepy, too. I don't know, there was just something about her that was just…off, you know?"

"Well, we are talking about a Goa'uld here," O'Neill said. "They can be a pretty eccentric--if not outright crazy--bunch."

"Excuse me, but wasn't Tanis a lost city at one point?" Casey spoke up. "I seem to recall something about that, somewhere."

Daniel nodded. "You're thinking of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, which had Tanis as a lost city, buried under the sand, until it was discovered by the Nazis, who used it to uncover the location of the ark of the covenant. But Raiders got that part wrong; in the real world, Tanis was never really lost. It was eventually abandoned when the city became threatened by a nearby lake that overflowed its banks."

"Still a great movie, though," O'Neill said absently.

"So how do we go about finding Mount Tanis?" Hammond asked.

"Um, as I recall, the only other mention of Tanis--other than on Earth--was in some of the books in the Library Of History on P4X-459," Daniel said. "Otherwise known as Ionia. I wasn't there for very long last time. Perhaps if we paid them a visit again?"

The conversation was halted when O'Neill, who gazed down at the table, abruptly started humming a tune under his breath. After listening to it for a few seconds, Olivia smiled when she realized that O'Neill was humming the theme song to Raiders Of The Lost Ark.

Sam, who sat next to O'Neill, burst into a slow grin. She glanced over at Olivia and slightly shook her head, as if to say, 'See what I have to put up with?'

Even General Hammond stared at O'Neill with a bemused expression on his face, until he gently said, "Excuse me, Colonel?"

"Wha--oh, sorry, sir," O'Neill muttered, contrite. Then his face lit up as an idea occurred to him. "Hey, I think I've got an idea for our next movie night," O'Neill added, glancing around at SG-1. "But, uh, it can wait…."

"That's a pretty impressive library the Ionians have, Doctor Jackson," Satterfield commented, once she had stopped laughing. "I've been there several times myself. Their mythology section alone takes up an entire wing of the library."

"You also think that would be the best place to look?" Daniel asked her.

Satterfield nodded. "The Ionians regard it as mythology, but I've found many references to earth, as well as the Goa'uld, and other planets in that section."

"They must have had prior contact with alien life forms in the past," Teal'c commented.

"Only it was so long ago that it's become myth to the Ionians," Sam added.

"General, if we're going to find Mount Tanis, then I'm convinced that this is the place to start," Daniel said. "And the sooner, the better."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "Neith's Jaffa who guarded the stargate fled through it when her Ha'tak ship was destroyed. The Netian Empire could already have received word of her demise, and may be taking steps to either move or use the Asgard Slayer."

"You've all taken down Goa'ulds before," Hammond said thoughtfully. "And in each case that has occurred, the surviving Jaffa almost always scattered to the four winds, sometimes winding up in the service of another Goa'uld. Yet that doesn't appear to be the case here."

"If the size of that fleet I saw parked on Mount Tanis is any indication," Olivia said with quiet dread, "then it's safe to say that the Netian Empire isn't going away anytime soon."

"Most Goa'uld only have themselves, along with a First Prime, as their main power structure," Daniel said. "But, based on what Olivia has told us, Neith actually had a subservient power base, under the control of Mut. It's very possible that Mut could simply take control of the Empire for herself."

"And even if she doesn't," Janet chimed in, "even if the Netian Empire does break up upon hearing the news of the death of Neith, the Asgard Slayer is still out there, up for grabs."

"Which is all the more reason why we need to find it and either grab it first, or destroy it," Hammond firmly told them. "At the moment, SG-3 is still on P3X-897, overseeing the evacuation of the Disappeared. SG-7 and SG-11 have been sent to back them up. Now I've been informed by Colonel Drumlin that the stasis tubes can be removed from their slots, so we'll be bringing the Disappeared back through the gate while still in stasis. We'll wake them once they're safely here on Earth."

"And what then?" O'Neill asked. "What happens once all those people are awake? What do we tell them?"

"I've been in touch with the President regarding those very same questions," Hammond replied. "He and his advisors are still working out the details, but the plan is to make up some sort of a cover story."

"That's going to be one hell of a cover story," Daniel said. "You've got people who have been abducted from all over the world, sir."

Hammond just gave a slight shrug. "I'm just in charge of the SGC. I take my orders from the President on this matter. And he says there will be a cover story. They want to keep the stargate program under wraps."

"And what about those among the Disappeared who are already awake?" O'Neill asked.

Olivia and Casey both glanced nervously at each other when all eyes fell upon them.

"You two are more than welcome to return to your previous lives," Hammond told them. "Provided you each sign a nondisclosure agreement, of course."

"All the amazing things I've seen," Casey said, shaking her head, "and I won't be able to tell anybody anything about it? That'll suck!"

"Welcome to our world," Daniel said.

O'Neill leaned forward. "Daniel, this library on…what's it called, again? Icarus?"

"Ionia, Jack."

"Yeah, whatever…this library, is it a lending library? Can you take stuff out and bring it back?"

Satterfield had a shocked look on her face. "No sir! Everything must be read right there, within the library itself. They're very strict about that."

"To the point where the library even has its own armed security force," Daniel added. "What are you driving at?"

"My point is that I'm not sure I want Olivia to go back home just yet," O'Neill told the room. "We still need her."

Olivia gave O'Neill a stunned look.

"Thanks to Neith implanting her memories within your brain, you've become the best expert we have on what Mount Tanis looks like," O'Neill told her. "If we find any descriptions, or even images, of Mount Tanis at the library, you can check it out for us right there."

"You did say you wanted another chance to go through the stargate, Liv," Sam said with a shrug. "Well, here's your chance."

"Wow," Olivia thought, still feeling overwhelmed at the thought of going back out there again. She had been looking forward to going home, to New York City, with Casey. But a part of Olivia had also been somewhat depressed that this whole venture had to end. Despite the dangers she had faced, despite the sheer terror she had felt, Olivia still had the time of her life being with Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and O'Neill, and she wasn't sure she wanted it all to end just yet.

"I take it you have no problems regarding this arrangement, sir?" O'Neill asked Hammond.

"If you need Detective Benson for this mission, then I'm fine with it. Since we're in a race to find the Asgard Slayer, time _is_ of the essence here. And having her on site will save a lot of time." Hammond glanced at Olivia. "But we have yet to hear your opinion about this idea."

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding her head slighty.

O'Neill gave her a strange look. "Ok, when you mean, 'Yeah,' are you agreeing with the general in that we haven't heard your opinion yet, _or_…."

"Yeah," Olivia absently said. She suddenly shook her head. "I mean: yes. I'll come with you to this library. If you guys really need me, if you think I can be of help, then I'll be more than happy to go."

"Thank you, Detective Benson," General Hammond said.

"Yeah, thanks, Liv," Daniel said.

"Welcome aboard," a grinning Sam told her.

Teal'c smiled slightly as he nodded his thanks to Olivia.

"Thanks, Liv," O'Neill said.

Yet when she glanced at Casey, Olivia saw that, although she was smiling, Casey's eyes were tinged with sadness.

**SG-1: SVU**

Elliot pulled the car over on the side of the road and switched off the engine. It was a deserted road that ran through the middle of the deep woods. He could still see the Cheyenne mountain in the distance through a break in the trees.

"You sure you want to do this, Elliot?" Munch nervously asked from the passenger seat.

"What other choice do we have, John?"

"Go home," Munch said.

Elliot shot him an angry glare. "Go home? You mean just give up? This from the conspiracy nut, the guy who's always ranting about the government…."

"That's right, Elliot, I'm always _ranting_ about the government, not trying to break into one of their high security facilities," Munch said. He pointed at the mountain and added, "This place will be more heavily guarded than Fort Knox. I doubt you'll even get inside before you're grabbed."

"_If_ I get grabbed," Elliot corrected.

"C'mon, Elliot, who are you kidding? Look, I miss Olivia and Casey just as much as you do, but what you're planning here won't lead to anything, nor will it help them."

"I won't know unless I try," Elliot said, as he got out of the car.

"If they catch you, you'll be at their complete mercy," Munch warned him. "They could very well make _you_ disappear, Elliot."

Elliot ignored him as he went to shut off his cell phone--but just then, it began to ring. He checked to see who was calling, and when he saw it was Kathy, Elliot took the call. "Kathy?"

"Yeah, Elliot," his wife said, sounding fatigued. "Listen, the baby's sick. He's been throwing up all day. We brought him over to the hospital."

The news struck Elliot in the gut like a sledgehammer. Feeling weak in the knees, he opened the car door and sat back down. "What happened? Is he all right?"

"The doctor says it's just the stomach flu," Kathy replied. "But they're still keeping him overnight, just in case. We can take him home in the morning."

"Oh, thank God," Elliot said with relief. When Munch made a 'what happened' gesture with his hands, Elliot said, "Elliot Jr. has been throwing up. Kathy took him to the hospital; it looks like he'll be fine."

"How's your case going out there, Elliot?" Kathy asked, a plaintive longing in her tone. "When do you think you can come back?"

It was at that point that Elliot made the descision. His wife and his baby boy both needed him right now, and here he was, about to go running off into the woods on a suicide mission to penetrate a government installation. As much as he hated to admit it--even to himself--Munch was right; there was nothing further they could do for Olivia and Casey right now.

"The case is a dead end," he told Kathy. "We're coming back, ASAP."

"Great," she said, sounding relieved. "Listen, I have to go, now. I'll call you later, ok?"

"Got it, love you."

"Love you, too, Elliot."

Elliot switched off the phone, shut the car door and turned the key in the ignition.

"You're making the right choice, Elliot," Munch said.

"Then why do I feel so crappy about it?" Elliot grumbled, as he they drove off. "I can't shake the feeling that we're abandoning Liv and Casey."

Munch didn't have an easy answer to that.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Do you understand why I'm doing this?" Olivia asked.

Casey nodded. "I do. But that doesn't mean I like it."

They were in Casey's room--which was essentially a square block, with a basic bed and no windows. Olivia learned that Stargate Command was housed in Cheyenne Mountain, under several hundred tons of earth, which didn't offer a great view of the landscape. Olivia's room, which looked exactly the same as Casey's, was right next door.

Casey gloomily shook her head. "I guess I'm still finding all of this hard to accept. It's like I've found out that the life I've been living was just the tip of the iceberg, and that the part which I've never seen is a hundred times more scary than I've ever imagined. And here you are, diving right back into it!"

"The Asgard are the only thing that's standing between earth and total destruction," Olivia said. "If they go down, then so do we, Casey. Finding this Asgard Slayer as soon as we can is of the utmost importance. And if I can truly help in this quest, then how can I say no?"

"I know," Casey replied. "And I admire you for taking this on, you know that. But I just wish it didn't have to be you who had to go."

"I'll be very careful," Olivia promised her.

"You'd better," Casey said, with a slight smile. "Because I won't be around to pull your fat out of the fire this time!"

"I know," Olivia said, as she smiled broadly at that. "I'll be with SG-1; they're just going to have to pick up the slack from you in watching my back."

Casey frowned when she thought of something. "Hey, we've signed those nondisclosure agreements. So what the hell am I going to tell everybody back at the precinct about where you are?"

"I'm still wondering what the hell you're going to tell Elliot and Munch about where _you've_ been all this time," Olivia said. "Especially dealing with this gag order."

"I'll tell them the truth. That I've been abducted by aliens," Casey said stoically. Then she cracked a smile. "You think they'll believe that?"

"I know Munch probably will!" Olivia said, as she and Casey shared a laugh.

**SG-1: SVU**

After the debriefing broke up, O'Neill went by the cafeteria to check on their cake selection. He was pleased to see the base bakery had been busy while they had been gone: there were no less than three different kinds of cake to chose from. Deciding that cake was much better when shared, he went looking for Carter.

Walking through a corridor that was just outside the gate room, O'Neill found himself facing a traffic jam of sorts. At least two dozen stasis tubes, each containing the slumbering form of one of the Disappeared, were backed up down the corridor.

O'Neill nodded in greetings as he came up to Major Lyman, who stood signing a form for an airman. O'Neill grimaced at the sight of a young boy lying prone in one of the tubes. 'The sooner we get these folks out of these things, the better,' he thought. "Major, Lyman, I see you've already started the evacuation."

"Yes, sir," the Marine said. "This is just the first batch of them. General Hammond wanted to start moving them out, so that they'll be clear before any Goa'uld force shows up, looking to see what happened to Neith."

"Good idea. How many of the Disappeared are there in total?"

"About a thousand," Lyman replied.

"We have room here for that many?"

Lyman shrugged. "That's the airman's problem, sir. I have to get planet-side and bring more back. "

The airman, a beefy fellow with the rank of specialist first class, nodded at O'Neill. "Don't worry, sir. We'll just stack them up vertically in storage for the time being. We should have the room to squeeze them all in."

O'Neill gazed at the sleeping face of a matronly woman in a bathrobe who slept in the stasis tube next to where he stood. He couldn't help but wonder about her family, and that they were no doubt worried sick about her. He then thought about the young boy whom he had just seen; a boy whose parents must now be extremely distraught over his well-being.

"They're human beings, airman," O'Neill said solemnly. "All of them are people with loved ones who miss them very dearly--they're not cargo. Make sure you don't forget that, huh?"

"Yes sir," the airman assured him. "Don't worry. We'll treat them with plenty of TLC. Doctor Fraiser will have her people monitoring them at all times."

His encounter with the Disappeared left O'Neill feeling somewhat depressed. When he found Carter in her lab, she initially glanced up from her laptop with a smile--until she noticed his glum demeanor. "Hello, sir. What's wrong?"

He told her about the disheartening sight of the Disappeared being stacked up like so much merchandise inside a warehouse. "It's just wrong," he said. "It shouldn't be like this…."

Carter nodded in sympathy. "I know what you mean, sir. It's a hard situation. But then, they shouldn't have been abducted by Neith in the first place. She was the one who caused this situation."

O'Neill nodded in agreement. "You've got a point there, Carter."

"And we're doing everything we can to fix it. They'll all be back home with their families soon enough. Hopefully none the wiser."

"Not as wise as you are, that's for sure," O'Neill told her. He loved how she shyly turned her head away just then--Carter never could handle compliments, even when they were well-deserved.

Yet once she turned her head, O'Neill's spirits dropped when he saw that damned reddish mark on her neck--the remnants of the strap which held her captive on Nacre's lobotomy table. That damn mark kept reminding O'Neill how uncomfortably close he'd come to losing her.

O'Neill glanced out the doorway over his shoulder, making sure they were alone. Then he said, "Come here."

He drew Sam into a tight hug, to which she responded with equal enthusiasm. When they parted, Sam had a slight smile on her face as she asked, "What was that for?"

All the thoughts that raced through O'Neill's mind just then--the fear of losing her; of just wanting to hold her and never let go--jumbled into a wordless mess in his throat. And he discovered that all he could say was: "Do you really need a reason?"

"No," Sam replied, as she stared meaningfully into his eyes. "Um, sir…I mean, Jack…I just wanted--"

"Colonel O'Neill, please report to the gate room," Sgt. Harriman's voice sounded on the base intercom. "Colonel O'Neill to the gate room."

'Perfect timing, Walter,' O'Neill sullenly thought. 'Just perfect….'

"You were saying?" O'Neill asked.

Now it looked as if Sam was the one who was tongue-tied. She gave him a feeble little shrug. "Uh, it-it can wait…sir."

O'Neill got the annoying feeling that he was missing something--that a golden opportunity had just passed him by. "Some other time, then?"

Carter nodded. "Yes sir."

O'Neill gestured to the intercom that had just called him. "I've got to go. But I've noticed that the cafreteria has much cake to offer. Would you care to partake some with me, later?"

Carter flashed him one of her brilliant smiles. "Yes, I'd like that, sir."

As he strode down the corridor, on his way to whatever new crisis required his attention this time, O'Neill ran into Olivia. She was just on her way out of the cafreteria with her base escort, a young female SF by the name of Naomi Duvall.

"You sure you don't want anything, Naomi?" Olivia asked the woman. "You didn't eat at all."

"I'm fine, Detective Benson," the SF assured her with a grin. "Really."

"You _can_ call me Olivia, you know. Hell, you can even call me Liv, if you--"

Olivia was interrupted when Duvall, seeing O'Neill, abruptly snapped off a salute. "Colonel, sir."

"At ease, airman," he told her, as he gently pulled Olivia away. "Just need to borrow Liv for a moment."

"Yes, sir," Duvall said.

"I can't talk much; I'm on my way to someplace, but I just wanted to thank you again, Liv, for deciding to come with us," O'Neill said, when they had some privacy.

"Oh, I'm extremely flattered that you asked," she replied. "And I promise to stay out of your way!"

O'Neill grinned. "Are you kidding? I've seen you in action, and you can handle yourself very well. So if the moment calls for it, then by all means, Liv, get in the way all you want!"

Olivia laughed at that. "Thanks!"

She was still laughing when O'Neill left her in the corridor with her SF escort. O'Neill entered the gate room to see General Hammond and Colonel Drumlin standing there with Sartor, Liandra and Luanda.

"Hey, kids!" O'Neill said, genuinely pleased to see the Kelori family again. "I see you finally made the trip through the gate, huh?"

"Yes, it was most…exhilarating," Sartor said, still looking somewhat dazed.

"Colonel O'Neill, Sartor and his people have decided to take up Colonel Drumlin's offer to move them to another planet," General Hammond said. "They're here to go over the list of suitable worlds that we have available to them. But they've personally requested if you could be present to help them make the selection, since Colonel Drumlin has to head back planet-side."

'There goes my little cake-date with Carter,' O'Neill grimly thought. Yet he was careful not to let this disappointment show in his expression. "Yes, sir, I'd be honored." He gestured towards the door. "After you, folks."

After they received a check up from Doctor Fraiser, Sartor and Liandra began the process of finding a new world for the Kelori--which was a long and tedious one; yet it was such an important decision that O'Neill didn't want to rush Sartor and Liandra. Luanda had initially busied herself with looking around the conference room, but once that lost its luster, she sat in one of the conference room chair and looked bored.

O'Neill excused himself to give Carter a call and inform her that the cake date would have to be postponed for another time. She was more than understanding, and when O'Neill hung up the phone, he gazed at poor Luanda, who appeared on the verge of falling asleep out of sheer boredom.

He promptly made another call to Janet Fraiser. "Is Cassie busy?"

When he explained the situation to her, Janet said, "I have to come up and meet with General Hammond anyway. I'll bring Cassie with me."

"Great, thanks." O'Neill hung up the phone and resumed his work in helping Sartor and Liandra to find a new world. By this time, Luanda was just about to fall asleep--but she abruptly perked up when Janet arrived with Cassie. Launda and Cassie had met earlier in the infirmary, and they had hit it off. Sure enough, once Cassie grabbed a seat next to her, she and Launda immediately began chatting animatedly.

They were still talking up a storm when Janet came out of Hammond's office and retrieved both Cassie and Luanda. She checked with Sartor and Liandra to see if it was ok to take Luanda down to the cafreteria, and they said it was fine.

As Luanda left the conference room with Cassie and Janet, O'Neill overheard her ask Cassie: "Could I meet this Hannah Montana?"

With Luanda in good hands, the search for a suitable planet appeared to go much faster. Hammond came out of his office and offered whatever help and advice that he could give. Eventually, Sartor and Liandra settled on PX6-354, which was a lush world, without sentient life, that was rich in forests and good growing soil. O'Neill had been there with SG-1, and he could confirm for them that it was a very good choice.

Once that was settled, it was time for Sartor, Liandra and Luanda to return home. Although he was exhausted--it had grown very late in the evening--O'Neill agreed to walk them back through the gate. After gearing up again, the stargate was dialed, and O'Neill returned with the Kelori family to their soon to be former home.

Once on the other side, O'Neill was stunned at two things: the sight of a long line of stasis tubes, all waiting for their chance to go through the gate. He was heartened to see the Kelori working alongside the SG teams in transporting the tubes. And the other stunning sight was a large number of Kelori who fearfully sat waiting for the return of Sartor, Liandra and Luanda. As soon as they appeared on the platform with O'Neill, the Kelori jumped up and ran towards them. When Sartor informed them all that a new home had been found, there was much celebration.

"Looks like you've got the situation well in hand, Sartor," O'Neill told him.

"Yes, for now," he replied, looking harried. "But there is much packing to do, and with Revlon gone, we still need to find a new leader."

O'Neill glanced at the sheer reverence with which the Kelori regarded Sartor. "You know, Sartor, it seems to me that your people have already found their new leader."

When O'Neill gestured at him, Sartor was stunned. "Me? Oh no, O'Neill! I am much too humble a man to assume such a role!"

"Sometimes it's the humble men who make the best leaders, Sartor," O'Neill said. "Remember that. Keep it in mind if your people ask you to lead, because I think you'll do great."

Bidding them farewell for the time being, O'Neill stepped back through the gate with the next batch of the Disappeared. Once he was back in his quarters at the SGC, he quickly stripped off his gear and collapsed in bed.

**SG1: SVU**

When Sam awoke the next day, she was stunned to see the collection of stasis tubes that were backed up in the hallways of the SGC. Arriving in the control room, she found Hammond and Sgt. Harriman.

"This is the last of them," Harriman told her, as they watched the last remaining stasis tubes being brought through the gate.

"From this point on, SG-3 and the other teams will start escorting the Kelori through the gate to their new home on PX6-354," Hammond told her. "Colonel O'Neill worked well into the night helping Sartor and Liandra to sort through our database."

"I take it he's sleeping in, then, sir?" Sam asked.

Hammond nodded. "It's still nighttime now on P4X-459, so you won't able to access the Library Of History for another several hours, anyway. I figure SG-1 could use a short rest until then. Doctor Jackson and Lt. Satterfield are doing some research at the local university, just checking to see if there's any more information on earth about Tanis. I don't know where Teal'c is right now."

"Teal'c is in a sparring session with Sgt. Siler, sir," Harriman said.

"You have some free time, now, as well, Major," Hammond said. "For the next six hours, at least. SG-1's not scheduled to go off-world until 1400 hours this afternoon."

Sam nodded. "Yes sir. See you later, then."

She left the gate room and made a beeline for Olivia's quarters. When she answered the door, Olivia looked slightly nervous. "Is it time?" she asked. "Are we leaving now?"

Sam explained how the time difference between here and P4X-459 meant that their departure time would be delayed until 1400 hours. "That's two o'clock this afternoon," she said.

Olivia nodded as she glanced at her watch. "So we still have some time."

"I know we'd promised each other that we'd have a lunch, or a brunch," Sam said, smiling. "But would you settle for a breakfest chat, instead?"

Olivia returned her smile. "Yeah, that's sounds great! I guess we'll hit the cafreteria?"

But Sam shook her head. "Actually, there's a great little place in town that I was thinking about. The food's much better."

**SG-1: SVU**

"You know, Colorado Springs ain't that bad," Munch said.

Elliot just nodded as they strolled along the main drag. They still had a lot of time before their plane left, and had decided to spend a few hours looking what what sights there were to see in this Air Force town. Kathy had called him earlier to let him know that Elliot Jr. was fine and back home. Yet Elliot still couldn't wait to get home and hold his littlest one in his hands.

"I mean, granted, it's not the City," Munch added. "But, for what it is, it's still not a bad place. It's sort of cheerful, even--in a military-hive-mentality kind of way. Where else can you see this many people in uniform having so much fun?"

When Elliot didn't reply, Munch asked, "You want me to shut up? Because I can tell I'm not doing a good job at cheering you up, here."

Elliot was just about to suggest to Munch that shutting his yap would be a good idea--until he realized that it wasn't fair for him to take the frustrations of the case out on John. "Nah, don't mind me," he said. "Talk away, John."

Munch pointed down the street. "Oh, look, a bookstore! Let's check it out."

"Sure," Elliot said, not really caring. Although, deep down, he knew he made the right decision yesterday, Elliot still could not let go of the notion that he had deserted Olivia and Casey. He still kept trying to think of ways of getting the Air Force to talk; because Elliot knew--he just knew--that he was close to the truth there in Cheyenne Mountain.

'Some way or another, I'll find out what happened to Olivia and Casey,' he swore. 'I'm not gonna rest until I find them, or get some answers.'

"Elliot?" Munch asked. "You coming in, or what?"

Elliot had been so lost in thought that he never realized that they were now standing in front of the bookstore until this very moment. "You go ahead, John. I'll wait for you out here."

"You sure? They might have some good baby books inside."

Smiling ruefully, Elliot waved at him. "I've helped raised five babies already, John. Trust me, there's nothing new a book can tell me now."

Munch went inside the bookstore while Elliot leaned up against a lamppost, waiting for him. There was an outdoor café right next door, and Elliot thought about getting a coffee.

He strolled by several people who were seated at the tables out front, and was startled by something. There were two women at one of the tables, both talking intensively. One of them was a pretty blonde in a dark jacket--but the other, she looked oddly familiar. She sat with her back facing Elliot, and her hair was the exact same style and color as that of Olivia's.

'No, don't be crazy,' Elliot told himself. 'You've been so obsessed with this case, that you're now starting to see Olivia everywhere you go. Be reasonable; that can't really be--'

Yet once Elliot got a good look at the woman's face, his mouth dropped open in shock. "Oh…my…God…."

**SG-1: SVU**

"Oh, wow," Olivia said, shaking her head. "What happened with Sha're is so sad!"

"Yeah, Daniel's had it rough," Sam agreed. "And then, on top of that, his ex-girlfriend becomes a Goa'uld…."

Olivia gasped in shock. "What?! Oh please, tell me you're kidding, Sam."

"I wish I was," Sam replied with a heavy sigh. "But no. Her name's Sarah Gardner, and she was taken by the Gou'ald Osiris. She's still out there, somewhere, causing havoc. And I can't imagine what it must be like for Daniel to--"

Sam stopped speaking when she saw the man standing on the sidewalk, staring at them intently. Actually, he stared right at Olivia, and then muttered, "Oh…my…God…."

"Excuse me, sir," Sam said, in her best, professional, don't-mess-with-me tone, "can we help you?"

When Olivia turned and glanced at the man, she let out another sharp gasp. "ELLIOT?!" she shouted.

"OLIVIA?!" the man shouted back.

"Oboy," Sam muttered dismally. "We should have stayed at the base…."

**SG-1: SVU**

Munch left the bookstore with his purchase in hand. It was a book that had new revelations on how the beef industry might actually have been behind the cover up at Roswell. It was a new theory, one that he wasn't familiar with, but Munch always tried to have an open mind.

Yet his 'open mind' couldn't quite prepare Munch for the sight that greeted him on the sidewalk in front of the café. Elliot stood there, tightly hugging a dark-haired woman who looked a lot like Olivia.

'No, check that,' Munch thought, as he got a better look at her. 'It _is_ Olivia!'

Stunned, Munch started walking towards them--but was stopped by a pretty blonde, who said, "Pardon me, sir. But this is private business. Please step away."

Munch glared at her. "Who the hell are you?"

"Major Samantha Carter, United States Air Force," she said. "Now, please--"

"Air Force?!" Munch exclaimed, glancing back and forth from her to Olivia. "So you _were_ behind the Disappeared all along! What, are you bastards keeping them all hostage in that mountain base of yours?!"

Major Carter just stared at him as if he were crazy. "_WHAT_?!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"What happened to you?" Elliot asked softly, as he stood close to Olivia and gently held her head in his hands. "God, I've been so worried…."

"Oh, Jesus, Elliot, how I wish I could tell you," Olivia whispered.

A tear of joy rolled down her cheek and Elliot wiped away it for her. "Why can't you? What the hell happened, Liv? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Elliot, really. And Casey, too--she's fine as well," she assured him. "But, we've been a part of something that's so vast…it's so much bigger than anything we've dealt with before. Even if I could tell you, I wouldn't know where to begin. And, I'm still very much a part of it."

"Of what?"

Angry shouting distracted them, and Olivia turned to see Sam standing off to the side, arguing with Munch.

"Just drop the act, sister," Munch yelled at Sam, as he stepped towards her.

"I'll drop _you_ if you take another step towards me," she warned him.

Munch laughed bitterly. "You hear this, Elliot? And she claims to be just a scientist researching deep space telemetry! Hah! Yeah, right! Caught you in another lie!"

"Hello? I've just said I was with the United States Air Force!" Sam shot back. "That makes me a _military_ scientist, right? Hence, I have combat skills! _Duh_!"

"Hey, hey, c'mon," Olivia said, as she and Elliot came over and broke them up. "Take it easy."

"You know her?" Munch asked Olivia, as Elliot gently pushed him away.

"Yes, I do," Olivia said, standing beside the still-livid Sam. "This is Samantha Carter. She's all right, John. Sam, this is John Munch."

"Detective Munch has a very vivid imagination, Liv," Sam said, as she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down.

"I can't believe that you're friends with one of the Men in Black, Liv!" Munch cried at her.

Sam shook her head. "Excuse me, but do I look like a _man_ to you? Maybe you should take off those shades. You'll see better."

"I see everything just perfectly, sister!"

"I swear," Sam muttered to Olivia, "if he calls me 'sister' one more time…."

"Munch, you're not helping this situation at all," Elliot said. "Just calm down, all right?"

"Calm down?! Elliot you were right! Cheyenne Mountain is behind the disappearances. I should have let you sneak into the place last night. Hell, I should have gone in with you!"

Olivia was surprised to hear this. "You were going to storm the base?" she asked Elliot.

"Yeah," he said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "But I didn't…long story."

"Perhaps we could all continue this conversation at the base," Sam suggested.

"Why?" Munch asked. "So we can be properly interrogated?"

"No," Sam calmly replied. "I just think it would be better to have this conversation in private, that's all."

"She's right," Olivia said, as she glanced around at the curious crowd of people that had gathered around them. "We should go someplace more private for this."

"Sure, why not," Elliot said. "If it means we'll finally get some answers."

**SG-1: SVU**

"Yep," General Hammond muttered, as he gazed out the two-way mirror. "That is one tenacious son of a bitch, all right…."

O'Neill and Carter stood with him as they watched Olivia and Detective Stabler in the meeting room. It was located on the public-access level of the Cheyenne Mountain base, well above the secure and super secret Stargate facility. Stabler had left his message in a room similar to this one just across the hall yesterday, and now he sat speaking quietly with Olivia. Meanwhile, John Munch nervously paced back and forth in front of them, with an anxious expression--as if expecting to be fed to the lions at any moment.

On the table was a cheap tape recorder that was placed there by Munch; it kept playing the selected works of Beethoven just loud enough to mask the conversation between Elliot and Olivia from any prying ears--not that Hammond, O'Neill and Carter wanted to know what was being said anyway.

"This Munch guy looks like he's quite the character," O'Neill commented with a smile.

"Oh, you have no idea," Sam said, with a pained expression on her face. "I'm really sorry about this, sirs."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Major," Hammond told her.

"Yeah, Carter, you couldn't have known this was going to happen," O'Neill added. "Talk about dumb luck though, huh?"

"What are we going to do, sir?" Carter asked Hammond.

"Not much we can do, but let them go," he replied. "Perhaps now that he's seen Detective Benson is alive and well, Detective Stabler will stop breathing down our necks."

"What about Casey Novak?" O'Neill asked.

Hammond frowned. "What about her, Colonel?"

O'Neill slowly turned towards him and said, "General, I've got an idea…."

**SG-1: SVU**

"I can't believe you came all this way for me," Olivia said. She almost got teary-eyed at the very thought of what Elliot went through for her. "I'm so damned lucky to have you as my partner, Elliot."

"Yeah, well, if I was really as half as good as you think of me, I should have come after you yesterday," Elliot replied, looking ashamed. "But I didn't…."

"What happened?"

"I got a call from Kathy. She told me that Elliot Jr. is in the hospital. He's fine," Elliot added, before Olivia could freak out. "It's just the stomach flu. But when Iheard that…I just couldn't do it, Liv. My family needs me. I'm sorry…."

Olivia was herself saddened, but not because Elliot didn't come after her, but because this moment had revealed something that she had long suspected. She reached out and gently took his hands in her own. "It's just like you said, your wife and baby needed you, Elliot. And they still need you, now. So don't feel bad, sweetie; you made the right choice."

"But I left you in the hands of these--"

"These people are _not_ the problem, Elliot," she told him. "They've been absolutely wonderful, and have helped us--no, actually, they saved us."

"You and Casey?" Elliot asked.

"All of us," Olivia said. "The Disappeared."

Munch angrily strode over. "These people are Black Ops, Liv! You can't trust them!"

"But they're not the ones behind this," Olivia insisted. "They saved us all, risking their lives to do so--and one of them gave his life in the process. And the sad thing is the public may never know about him, or his sacrifice."

"If they're a bunch of shining knights in armor, then why can't you talk about what really happened to you?" Elliot asked. "Why can't you tell me who really abducted the Disappeared?"

"Because the world really isn't ready to handle what really happened," Olivia said. "And this program, it needs to be kept under wraps in order for it to work effectively. It's still overwhelming for _me_, and I'm still involved with it!"

Elliot leaned forward. "Look, Liv, if these people are forcing you to do anything--"

"No, they're not, Elliot, I swear," she said. "I've been asked for my help, and I've gladly given it, because it's something that's really worth it. These people are involved in something that's far bigger than all of us. They're fighting an enemy who's a hundred times more powerful, and scary, than anything we're used to dealing with."

"What? Terrorists?" Munch asked derisively. "Like those supposedly dangerous eco-terrorists the government had you spying on?"

Olivia shook her head. "Like I've said, I can't tell you. But you guys are detectives, surely you've both wondered how the hell could somebody abduct people from their locked homes in the middle of the night--with the locks still in place?"

"I've wondered if they were abducted by little green men…." Munch started to say--then stopped when Olivia abruptly began to nod her head. "Olivia, what the hell are you saying, here?"

"I didn't say anything," she innocently told him. "You came up with that idea, not me."

"Good God, Liv," Elliot, stunned, said softly. "Have you any idea what you're implying here?"

"I didn't imply anything," she very gently, but firmly, told him. "Understand? You never heard me tell you anything"

Munch shook his head. "Olivia, no, you can't just--"

"John, John!" Elliot snapped, waving him off. "She's said all she can say. Now back off, huh?"

Shaking his head, Munch leaned up against the wall, muttering under his breath about how the Men In Black always managed to win.

"You _are_ coming back, right?" Elliot wanted to know. "Once you're done doing whatever the hell you're supposed to be doing with these people?"

"Yes, I am," she assured him. "I don't know how long it will take, but I'm certainly planning on coming back."

"You'd better," Elliot jokingly said, "or else I'll still come looking for you, even if it means chasing you down on Pluto!"

"I'd believe it," Olivia said, giving him a hug.

The door opened just then, and Colonel O'Neill entered. He paused and waved his arm out, allowing Casey to come inside. She had a big smile on her face when she saw Elliot and John.

As Casey joyfully hugged both Elliot and Munch, Olivia saw that Hammond and Sam also entered the room with O'Neill.

O'Neill grimaced at the tape recorder, which was still blaring Beethoven. "Hey! You mind turning that off?!"

Munch quickly shut off the tape recorder and put it back in his suit jacket pocket.

"Are we allowed to speak to Casey, as well?" Elliot asked the General.

"You can take her back with you," Hammond replied. "Provided Ms. Novak returns to New York quietly, without any publicity. The New York City District Attorney has been contacted by the Pentagon in regard to this matter."

"I've already signed a nondisclosure agreement," Casey informed Elliot and Munch.

"Signing away our civil liberties, Casey?" Munch muttered in disgust. "Nice, real nice…."

"I just want to go home, John," Casey wearily said.

"Um, Liv," O'Neill said, gesturing at his watch. "Hate to rush ya, but we've got that 'thing,' remember?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Oh, God," Casey abruptly said, as she grabbed Olivia's arm. "Listen, you take care of yourself out there, ok?"

"I will," Olivia promised.

"That goes for you two, as well," Casey told Sam and O'Neill. "Please be careful out there."

"Always," O'Neill said with a smile. "Thanks, Casey. You take care, too."

Before she left the room with Sam and O'Neill, Olivia gave Elliot one more look. "See you, Elliot. Give Kathy and the kids my love."

Elliot nodded. "I will, Liv. Hey, I still have no idea what you're doing, but whatever it is: just be careful, huh?"

"Count on it," she replied. "Give my best to everybody back at the One Six."

Then she left the room with Sam and O'Neill. "It was nice of the General to let Casey go home," Olivia said.

"It was actually Colonel O'Neill's idea," Sam said as they got into the elevator. "He felt the SGC needed to earn the trust of Detectives Stabler and Munch--and the only way to do that would be if we allowed Casey to go back with them."

"Thanks, Jack," Olivia said.

O'Neill gave her a modest shrug. "Just thought it was the right thing to do. The General agreed." When the elevator opened on the SGC level, they got out. O'Neill turned to the women and said, "See you in the gate room in ten minutes. Liv, Carter will walk you through the stuff you'll need."

Olivia went with Sam to the women's locker room, where Olivia put on a basic green BDU with a black shirt and boots. The part when Sam became really helpful was when Olivia put on the vest. Sam made sure it fit Olivia snugly--then she coached Olivia on how to wear the twin gun holsters, one for her regular bullet gun, and the other for her own zat.

Once she gazed at herself in the full-length mirror, Olivia couldn't help but smile. With her dark brown hair tucked up under a cap, Olivia felt as if she were back undercover--this time as a soldier.

"You look good," Sam said, now also fully clad in her own BDU gear and cap. "You know, I've got to say, Liv: now that I've met Elliot, it's easy for me to understand what you see in him. He's quite a guy."

"You mean what I _saw_ in him," Olivia corrected. "Past tense."

Sam's smile faded. "Oh, you mean it's--"

"I'm moving on," Olivia said sadly. "Um, to make a long story short, Elliot recently made a very important choice--and it was the right one, Sam, it really was. But it also made me realize that I really need to get on with my life, y'know?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. I do."

As they strolled down the hallway towards the gate room, Olivia asked, "What about you guys? Anything happen on that front?"

"We almost had a cake date," Sam said wryly.

"An almost-cake date?" Olivia said, with mock-astounishment. "Oh, Sam, you've got to tell me all about it first chance we get!"

As they entered the gate room, Sam burst into giggles. "Holy Hannah, I can't believe I'm even telling you these things!"

Olivia stared at her in amazement. "Did you just say 'Holy Hannah?' Oh my God, that is so adorable!" When she saw O'Neill, Daniel, Teal'c, Hailey and Satterfield all standing before the platform, watching her, Olivia pointed at Sam and just said, "She is just so adorable!"

"We kinda like her," O'Neill jokingly muttered. He gestured at the airman who stood waiting for her. "Go get your stuff, Liv."

Olivia went over and retrieved a zat from the airman. But when he gave her the handgun, Olivia was stunned to see that it wasn't the standard issue Barretta.

It was a Glock.

"Oh, wow," Olivia said, smiling, as she holstered the weapon. It felt good in her hand.

"I knew you preferred the Glock nine," O'Neill said. "So I called in a favor with the armory."

Olivia smiled at him. "Hey, thanks!"

"Not that you'll need it on this mission, Liv," O'Neill told her. "It's just going to be a simple research gig--nice and boring, no big deal."

"Oh, yeah, great, Jack," Daniel muttered in disgust. "Just great…."

"What?!" O'Neill asked him, frowning.

"That's what you said just before we went through the gate to P3X-897," Daniel said. "'Nothing to worry about,' you told us, 'it's just a little recon mission on a unimportant ball of dust. No big deal!' And then we went through and met Neith and her hordes! And now you're doing it again…."

"Chevron one encoded!" Sgt. Harriman called from the control room.

"What?" O'Neill asked. "What am I doing, Daniel?"

"You're jinxing us," Daniel told him. "Again!"

"Chevron two, encoded," Harriman called.

"Lieutenants Hailey and Satterfield," Sam said, as she and Olivia joined the group. "Didn't know you were joining us."

"Satterfield's knowledge of the Library is pretty extensive, so I wanted her to come, too," O'Neill said. "And, since SG-12 is off duty, I figured, why not have Mini-Carter come along as well?"

"Chevron three, encoded!" Harriman said.

Sam shot O'Neill a wide-eyed look. "Uh, sir--"

"Hailey! I meant Lieutenant Hailey," O'Neill quickly said. "Sorry…Daniel's got me all messed up with this jinx business."

"Oh, yeah," Daniel muttered to Teal'c. "Now he's blaming me…."

Hailey merely shook her head at O'Neill with a slight smile on her face. "Not to worry, sir." Then, with a glance at Sam, she added, "In fact, I consider it to be a huge compliment."

"Chevron four, encoded!"

"Aw, that's cute," Olivia said to Hailey. She gestured at Sam. "She really is quite adorable, isn't she?"

"Liv, I should warn you, I'm now armed, " Sam jokingly said. "So you'd better knock it off."

"Right, sorry," Olivia said quickly.

Then they both glanced sidelong at each other and smiled broadly.

"Chevron five, encoded!"

"You'd better knock it off, too," O'Neill told Daniel.

"I'd just wish you'd stop jinxing us just before we walk through the gate," Daniel said. He turned to Teal'c. "I mean, is that too much to ask?"

Teal'c looked thoughtful for a moment, then he shrugged his massive shoulders.

Daniel frowned. "Is that a yes or a no?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, with a slight smile.

"Oh, you're playing with him," O'Neill said, grinning, "you wacky Jaffa, you! And they say you don't have a sense of humor, T!"

Teal'c regarded O'Neill thoughtfully. "Who is 'they?'"

"Chevron Six, encoded!" Harriman called off.

"Look, it's gonna be all right," O'Neill assured the group. "You'll see. It's just a simple research mission. I mean, what can possibly happen, right?"

"Oh, jeez," Daniel said, shaking his head.

"Might as well smash a mirror," Hailey muttered under her breath.

O'Neill glanced at her. "What's that, Lieutenant?"

"Um, nothing, sir!" she replied with a cheerful smile.

Satterfield leaned in towards Hailey and anxiously asked, "Is it too late to go back for our combat helmets?"

"Chevron seven…encoded!" Harriman said.

With that, the stargate came to life with a great flourish of its event horizon. Olivia marveled at the sight of the thing. 'No matter what happens, I am so lucky just to have been able to witness something like this,' she thought.

"Good luck, SG-1," Hammond told them over the intercom.

"Ok, kids," O'Neill said, as he put on his sunglasses. "Let's go find the Asgard Slayer."

O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel were the first to go through the gate, followed by Hailey and Satterfield.

Satterfield glanced at Hailey and began giggling. "Mini-Carter…heh!"

Hailey pointed at her. "Do not start with me, Grace…."

Then they vanished into the shiny brillance of the event horizon, leaving only Sam and Olivia on the platform.

"You nervous?" Sam asked, as they strode up to the gate.

"No," Olivia replied. "Oddly, I feel a good kind of excitement. It's like no matter what happens, I'm ready for it."

"We still partners?"

"That we are, Sam. And, like before, as long as we're partners, I've got--" Olivia paused, thinking. "How'd you guys say it? Oh yeah: I've got your six."

"Same here." Sam smiled broadly at her. "Good to have you on the team, Liv."

Then they both stepped through the stargate together, headed for their next exotic destination amid the stars.

**The End**_**...for now**._

_A/N: The Satterfield character never had a first name. She only appeared in one episode of Stargate: SG-1, **Proving Ground**, where everybody only referred to her by her last name. So, I gave her the name Grace--the same first name as the actress who played her, Grace Park. _

_Although I am deaf, I can still hear music (thank God!), and have listened to the soundtrack albums of the **Lord Of The Rings** while writing this. The grand, sweeping marches and haunting themes helped me to aim high while writing, and I'd like to thank composer Howard Shore for creating such wonderful music to write by. _

_I would also like to thank Kathleen Ritter for her great book **Stargate SG-1: The Ultimate Visual Guide**. Although I'm a huge fan of the show, and thought I knew evrything I needed to know about it, this book was still extremely helpful in looking up Goa'uld phrases and other important stuff concerning the Stargate universe. _

_I'd also like to thank Mariska Hargitay and Amanda Tapping for the wonderful job they do in playing Benson and Carter. _

_There will be a sequel to this soon. What, did you think the Netian Empire would go away so easily? _


End file.
